Representation and identification of activity patterns during electro-physiology mapping using vector fields

• US 9,918,649 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2014
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Thakur, Pramodsingh H., Shome, Shibaji, Arcot-Krishnamurthy, Shantha, Shuros, Allan C., Maskara, Barun, Saha, Sunipa
• Primary Examiner(s): Stoklosa, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANTISKAY, BRIAN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/120,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 607115-116, 607122-123, 607131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00357 Endocardium
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/287 Holders for multiple electrodes, e.g. electrode catheters for electrophysiological study [EPS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/322 Physical templates or devices for measuring ECG waveforms, e.g. electrocardiograph rulers or calipers by template matching A61B5/35
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/341 Vectorcardiography [VCG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/35 by template matching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6858 with a distal basket, e.g. expandable basket
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6859 with multiple distal splines
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing

Abstract

A method and system for mapping an anatomical structure includes sensing activation signals of intrinsic physiological activity with a plurality of mapping electrodes disposed in or near the anatomical structure, each of the plurality of mapping electrodes having an electrode location. A vector field map which represents a direction of propagation of the activation signals at each electrode location is generated to identify a signature pattern and a location in the vector field map according to at least one vector field template. A target location of the identified signature pattern is identified according to a corresponding electrode location.

Claims

1. A catheter system comprising:

a plurality of mapping electrodes configured to detect activation signals of intrinsic cardiac activity, each of the plurality of mapping electrodes having an electrode location;

a mapping processor associated with the plurality of mapping electrodes, the mapping processor configured to record the detected activation signals and associate one of the plurality of mapping electrodes with each recorded activation signal, the mapping processor further configured to generate a vector field map, comprising a plurality of vectors, which represents a direction of propagation of the activation signals at each electrode location, and identify a signature pattern and a target location in the vector field map according to at least one vector field template; and

a display device configured to display the generated vector field map,

wherein the mapping processor is further configured to determine a reliability index for each detected activation signal at an electrode location according to at least one of a contact between the corresponding electrode and an anatomical structure and a level of noise in the detected activation signal, and to modify the physical appearance of each of the plurality of vectors of the vector field map according to the corresponding reliability index to visually represent the reliability.

2. The catheter system according to claim 1, wherein to generate the vector field map the processing system is further configured to determine a vector of propagation at each electrode which represents a direction of propagation of the detected activation signal with respect to at least one adjacent electrode.

3. The catheter system according to claim 1, wherein to identify the signature pattern the processing system is further configured to access a template bank which includes a plurality of vector field templates, each vector field template having a unique signature pattern, compare the vector field map with each vector field template of the template bank, and identify the signature pattern most closely matching the generated vector field map according to a similarity index.

4. The catheter system according to claim 3, wherein each unique signature pattern of the template bank includes at least one of a divergent pattern representing focal activity having a foci location and a curled pattern representing rotor activity having a core location.

5. The catheter system according to claim 3, wherein to compare the vector field the processing system is further configured to determine a reliability index for each sensed activation signal at an electrode location according to at least one of a contact between the corresponding electrode and an anatomical structure and a level of noise in the detected activation signal, select one or more vectors of the vector field map which meet a preselected threshold based on the determine reliability index, and compare only the one or more selected vectors with the corresponding vectors within each vector field template of the template bank.

6. The catheter system according to claim 1, wherein the display device is further configured to display:

the identified target location.