System utilizing radio frequency signals for tracking and improving navigation of slender instruments during insertion in the body

• US 8,010,181 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Excelsius Surgical, LLC (Globus Medical, Inc.), Globus Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Catholic Healthcare West (CommonSpirit Health (Illinois))
• Inventors: DeSanctis-Smith, Regina, Crawford, Neil, Smith, David W., Theodore, Nicholas, Pitt, Alan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Long V
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOFFA, ANGELA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US11/676,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20070238985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3478 Endoscopic needles, e.g. for infusion biopsy needles A61B10/0233; catheters with injection needles A61M25/0067
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/11 with guides for needles or instruments, e.g. arcuate slides or ball joints
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

The present invention concerns a system for utilizing radio frequency signals to dynamically determine the location of a medical device throughout a procedure and to improve navigation of the medical device. For these purposes, a plurality of RF receivers are mounted at operative locations in the operating room and operate on the same clock signal. The system also utilizes a diagnostic medical image such as an MRI, and overlays the position feedback signal on the image. This allows, for example, a surgeon to pick a desired spot on the diagnostic image, and then cause a robotic arm driven device to be moved to that particular spot inside the human body.

Claims

1. A navigation system for invasive medical procedures, comprising:

an RF steerable medical instrument that is mounted on an end of arm tool, the medical instrument being adapted to be inserted into a human body along an axis of insertion;

at least one radio frequency (RF) transmitter affixed to a distal end and on a side of the medical instrument, said RF transmitter capable of emitting energy sufficient to ablate abutting tissue;

a plurality of RF receivers that are adapted to receive RF signals emitted from the RF transmitter;

a computational device that is operatively coupled to the plurality of RF receivers, the computational device being adapted to cause a visual image of a desired portion of a human body to be shown on a display and to overlay on the visual image an indication of the location of the medical instrument within the human body based on analysis of the information received from the RF receivers; and

a robotic controller that is operatively coupled to the computational device and the end of arm tool, the controller configured to steer the medical instrument to desired locations within a human body by selectively activating the RF transmitter to emit energy in an amount sufficient to control the degree of deflection of the medical instrument lateral to the axis of insertion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical instrument comprises a needle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical instrument includes a beveled leading edge, the RF transmitter being located on the distal end of the medical instrument so that RF energy can be emitted therefrom which reduces a mechanical force needed to advance the medical instrument through tissue opposing the beveled edge of the medical instrument.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RF receivers comprises three or more RF receivers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computational device is adapted to receive information from the RF receivers in an iterative fashion.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computational device is adapted to receive information from the RF receiver in a dynamic fashion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computational device is adapted to allow a user to pick a desired location within a human body and to dynamically provide information to the controller to cause it to move the end of arm tool and medical instrument to the desired location.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computation device comprises a personal computer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF transmitter is located at a leading edge of the medical instrument.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF transmitter is operatively coupled to the computational device, and wherein the computational device causes the RF transmitter to emit RF signals at desired times.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein two or more RF transmitters are affixed to the medical instrument at desired locations thereof, the two or more RF transmitters being selectively energizable to steer the medical instrument in a desired direction.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least three RF transmitters are affixed to the medical instrument at desired locations thereof, the three RF transmitters being selectively energizable to steer the medical instrument in a desired direction.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the three RF transmitters are evenly radially distributed around the medical instrument.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the three RF transmitters are located at a distal end of the medical instrument.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the three RF transmitters are located opposite a leading edge of the medical instrument.