Position sensing in intravascular imaging
First Claim
1. An intravascular system comprising:
- (a) an intravascular imaging catheter including a proximal end and a distal end, a transducer located in a transducer position near the distal end of the intravascular imaging catheter, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer;
(b) a position sensor including a movable element positioned on the first telescoping portion of the catheter and a reference element positioned on the second telescoping portion of the catheter, the movable element having a movable element position that is correlated to the transducer position, the position sensor being configured to measure the movable element position relative to a position of the reference element;
(c) an intravascular imaging engine coupled to the intravascular imaging catheter, the intravascular imaging engine being configured to receive image information from the intravascular imaging catheter and position information from the position sensor and to generate a display based on the image information and the position information.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An intravascular imaging system can include a catheter, a position sensor, and an intravascular imaging engine for receiving information from the catheter and the position sensor. The position sensor can include a reference element and a movable element, which can have a movable element position that is correlated to the position of an imaging transducer in the catheter. The relative position between the movable element and a reference element can be determined and can correspond to the relative movement of the transducer within a patient'"'"'s vasculature. The imaging engine can receive position information from the position sensor and image information from the catheter and generate a display using the received information. Because relative movement of the transducer can be determined, spatial relationships between sets of imaging data can be determined, and image data from multiple transducer locations can be combined into one image.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An intravascular system comprising:
- (a) an intravascular imaging catheter including a proximal end and a distal end, a transducer located in a transducer position near the distal end of the intravascular imaging catheter, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer;
(b) a position sensor including a movable element positioned on the first telescoping portion of the catheter and a reference element positioned on the second telescoping portion of the catheter, the movable element having a movable element position that is correlated to the transducer position, the position sensor being configured to measure the movable element position relative to a position of the reference element;
(c) an intravascular imaging engine coupled to the intravascular imaging catheter, the intravascular imaging engine being configured to receive image information from the intravascular imaging catheter and position information from the position sensor and to generate a display based on the image information and the position information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 19, 20)
- (a) an intravascular imaging catheter including a proximal end and a distal end, a transducer located in a transducer position near the distal end of the intravascular imaging catheter, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer;
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10. A method for operating an intravascular imaging system that includes (i) a catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, a transducer located near the distal end, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer, (ii) a position sensor including a movable element positioned on the first telescoping portion of the catheter and a reference element positioned on the second telescoping portion of the catheter, and (iii) a motorized translation mechanism including a motor capable of receiving commands for translating the transducer of the catheter, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving a command to move the transducer a predetermined amount;
(b) translating the transducer the predetermined amount via the motorized translation mechanism while receiving position information from the position sensor by telescoping the first telescoping portion and second telescoping portion of the catheter relative to one another, the position information being used as a feedback signal for automatically controlling the translation distance of the transducer and comprising a movable element position relative to a reference element position, the movable element position being correlated to a position of the catheter'"'"'s transducer;(c) while moving the transducer, receiving image information from the catheter at a plurality of transducer positions based on an imaging function performed with the catheter in a patient'"'"'s blood vessel, the received image information having corresponding position information based on position information received at or near the plurality of transducer positions; and (d) generating a display based on the image information and the position information. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22)
- (a) receiving a command to move the transducer a predetermined amount;
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21. An intravascular system comprising:
- (a) an intravascular imaging catheter including a proximal end and a distal end, a transducer located in a transducer position near the distal end of the intravascular imaging catheter, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer;
(b) a position sensor including a movable element positioned on the second telescoping portion of the catheter and a reference element positioned on the first telescoping portion of the catheter, the movable element having a movable element position that is correlated to the transducer position, the position sensor being configured to measure the movable element position relative to a position of the reference element;
(c) an intravascular imaging engine coupled to the intravascular imaging catheter, the intravascular imaging engine being configured to receive image information from the intravascular imaging catheter and position information from the position sensor and to generate a display based on the image information and the position information. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- (a) an intravascular imaging catheter including a proximal end and a distal end, a transducer located in a transducer position near the distal end of the intravascular imaging catheter, a first telescoping portion, and a second telescoping portion, the first telescoping portion being configured to telescope within the second telescoping portion to facilitate motion of the transducer;
Specification