Locating intravascular images

• US 9,730,613 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Minas, Maritess, Stigall, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S
• Application Number:
  US14/136,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/066 Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7425 Displaying combinations of multiple images regardless of image source, e.g. displaying a reference anatomical image with a live image geometric transforms for image registration G06T3/14; enhancement using image fusion G06T5/50; algorithms for registration of images G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe

Abstract

The invention includes imaging catheters having image collectors co-located with radiopaque labels, methods of using the imaging catheters, and systems for locating the position of intravascular images within the body. In some instances, an angiogram is used to determine the precise location of the co-located radiopaque labels, and thus, the position of the intravascular image.

Claims

1. An imaging catheter comprising:

a flexible elongate member including a proximal portion and a distal portion sized and shaped for positioning within a vessel of a patient;

an imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member, the imaging assembly including;

an image collector;

a body member centrally disposed with respect to the image collector; and

a radiopaque label centrally disposed with respect to the image collector, wherein the radiopaque label is co-located longitudinally in the imaging catheter with respect to the image collector in a fixed manner such that the radiopaque label and the image collector remain co-located longitudinally while at least the imaging assembly is moved within the vessel; and

an inner member extending longitudinally through the body member, wherein the imaging assembly is slidably coupled to the inner member and further configured to travel longitudinally with respect to the inner member such that the imaging assembly is capable of being translated while imaging vasculature.

2. The imaging catheter of claim 1, wherein the image collector is a piezoelectric sensor, a micromachined transducer, a photodiode, a charge coupled device, a microchannel array, or a lens.

3. The imaging catheter of claim 2, wherein the imaging catheter is an intravascular ultrasound imaging probe.

4. The imaging catheter of claim 2, wherein the imaging catheter is an intravascular optical coherence tomography imaging probe.

5. The imaging catheter of claim 1, wherein the radiopaque label is less than 3 mm in length measured longitudinally along the catheter.

6. The imaging catheter of claim 1, wherein the radiopaque label comprises platinum, palladium, rhenium, tungsten, or tantalum.

7. A method of locating the position of an intravascular image in a subject, comprising:

inserting, into a subject, an intravascular imaging catheter comprising an imaging assembly, the imaging assembly comprising;

an image collector;

a body member centrally disposed with respect to the image collector;

an inner member extending longitudinally through the body member; and

a radiopaque label centrally disposed with respect to the image collector, wherein the radiopaque label is co-located longitudinally in the intravascular imaging catheter with respect to the image collector in a fixed manner such that the radiopaque label and the image collector remain co-located longitudinally while the catheter is moved within vasculature of the subject relative to the inner member;

imaging a portion of the vasculature of the subject using the image collector;

imaging the subject to determine the location of the radiopaque label; and

locating the position of the intravascular image, based upon the position of the radiopaque label.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein imaging the subject comprises obtaining an x-ray image of the subject.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the x-ray image is obtained with fluoroscopy or x-ray computed tomography (CT scanning).

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying an image of the subject including the radiopaque label.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the intravascular imaging step comprises ultrasound imaging or optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging.

12. A system for locating the position of an intravascular image in a subject, comprising:

an imaging catheter comprising;

an imaging assembly disposed at the distal portion of a flexible elongate member, the imaging assembly including;

an image collector;

a body member centrally disposed with respect to the image collector;

an inner member extending longitudinally through the body member; and

a radiopaque label centrally disposed with respect to the image collector, wherein the image collector is co-located longitudinally in an imaging catheter with respect to the radiopaque label in a fixed manner such that the radiopaque label and the image collector remain co-located while the catheter is moved within vasculature of the subject relative to the inner member;

a processor; and

a computer readable, non-transitory storage medium having instructions that when executed cause the processor to;

receive imaging data of the vasculature of a subject collected with the image collector;

receive an x-ray image of the subject including the radiopaque label;

output an image of the subject showing the location of the image collector using the x-ray image of the subject including the radiopaque label; and

output an image of the vasculature of a subject at the location of the image collector.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer readable, non-transitory storage medium has instructions that when executed cause the processor to output an image simultaneously showing the location of the image collector and the vasculature of the subject.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the image collector is a piezoelectric sensor, a micromachined transducer, a photodiode, a charge coupled device, a microchannel array, or a lens.