Systems and methods for guiding a medical instrument
First Claim
1. A tracking system, comprising:
- a medical device, the medical device including a distal portion adapted for insertion into a body of a patient and a proximal portion adapted to remain external to the body of the patient, the proximal portion of the medical device at least temporarily having a magnetic element attached thereto;
a first medical imaging system configured to image a first body portion of the patient, the first medical imaging system configured to sense a magnetic field of the magnetic element in order to generate magnetic field strength data;
a tracking circuit configured to track movement of the medical device relative to the first medical imaging system, the tracking circuit including;
a processor configured to receive the magnetic field strength data and compute position data of the medical device, the position data of the medical device including three-dimensional data regarding a position of the distal portion of the medical device; and
a memory for storing the position data; and
a second medical imaging system configured to image a second body portion of the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A guidance system for assisting with the insertion of a needle into a patient body is disclosed. The guidance system utilizes ultrasound imaging or other suitable imaging technology. In one embodiment, the guidance system comprises an imaging device including a probe for producing an image of an internal body portion target, such as a vessel. One or more sensors are included with the probe. The sensors sense a detectable characteristic related to the needle, such as a magnetic field of a magnet included with the needle. The system includes a processor that uses data relating to the sensed characteristic to determine a 3-D position of the needle. The system includes a display for depicting the position of the needle. In other embodiments, a guidance system for guiding rigid or other medical instruments is disclosed, together with various example implementations thereof.
1561 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A tracking system, comprising:
- a medical device, the medical device including a distal portion adapted for insertion into a body of a patient and a proximal portion adapted to remain external to the body of the patient, the proximal portion of the medical device at least temporarily having a magnetic element attached thereto;
a first medical imaging system configured to image a first body portion of the patient, the first medical imaging system configured to sense a magnetic field of the magnetic element in order to generate magnetic field strength data; a tracking circuit configured to track movement of the medical device relative to the first medical imaging system, the tracking circuit including; a processor configured to receive the magnetic field strength data and compute position data of the medical device, the position data of the medical device including three-dimensional data regarding a position of the distal portion of the medical device; and a memory for storing the position data; and a second medical imaging system configured to image a second body portion of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
- a medical device, the medical device including a distal portion adapted for insertion into a body of a patient and a proximal portion adapted to remain external to the body of the patient, the proximal portion of the medical device at least temporarily having a magnetic element attached thereto;
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18. A method for tracking a medical device with respect to a body of a patient, the method comprising:
- obtaining the medical device, the medical device including a proximal portion adapted to remain external to the body of the patient a distal portion adapted for insertion into the body of the patient, and a magnetic element located on the proximal portion, wherein the distal portion is rigid;
imaging a first body portion with a first medical imaging system, the first medical imaging system configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnetic element and to depict the distal portion of the medical device on a display; detecting the magnetic field of the magnetic element in order to generate magnetic field strength data; determining a position of the distal portion of the medical device according to the detected magnetic field strength data; depicting on the display the position of the distal portion of the medical device together with the first body portion; imaging a second body portion with a second medical imaging system; and depicting the second body portion together with the position of the distal portion of the medical device and the first body portion. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
- obtaining the medical device, the medical device including a proximal portion adapted to remain external to the body of the patient a distal portion adapted for insertion into the body of the patient, and a magnetic element located on the proximal portion, wherein the distal portion is rigid;
Specification