Ultrasound image assisted administering of medication
First Claim
1. An apparatus for one of:
- (i) injecting drugs into a desired location of a region in a patient;
(ii) aspirating a body fluid from a desired location of a region in a patient;
which comprises;
an injector means having an injector conduit with an entry end and an exit end for injecting said conduit into said patient;
means for one of;
(i) injecting drug through said conduit from said entry end to said exit end;
(ii) aspirating fluid through said conduit from said exit end to said entry end;
display means for displaying an image of said region on a video monitor;
means for displaying on screen simultaneously with said image of said region a virtual image of said injector conduit;
said virtual image displayed at a location relative to said image of said region corresponding to where said exit end of said conduit is located when said conduit is injected into said region providing that an operator is enabled to view said image of said region and adjust a position of said injector means relative to said desired location prior to injecting said conduit thereby ensuring that, when said conduit is injected into said region and one of;
(i) said drug is injected through said conduit, said drug will enter said region at said desired location;
(ii) said body fluid is aspirated through said conduit, said body fluid is aspirated from said region at said desired location.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for injecting a drug into a precisely selected location in a patient'"'"'s body which is a combination scanner and drug injector. The scanner is a planar array of ultrasonic transducers which transmits a focused ultrasonic beam over the entire region of interest. The injector is preferably a hypodermic syringe mounted with the array on a base. The syringe is mounted to slide between one position where the injector conduit is retracted from the patient and another position where the adjustably positioned exit end of the conduit is in the desired location for injection of the drug. As the operator holds the scanner-injector against the patient'"'"'s body with injector conduit retracted, he views on a monitor screen a virtual image of the conduit which is the image of the conduit after the conduit is injected into the body. The operator electronically adjusts the length of the virtual image and adjusts the position of the scanner-injector so that the exit tip of the virtual image is located at the desired location of the image of the region on the screen. Then the conduit is inserted into the body up to a length where the exit tip of the injector is at the desired location. Then the drug is injected into the patient. In another application of the apparatus and methods of the invention, a vacuum source is attached to the injector conduit and the device is used to aspirate fluids. instead of a drug In another embodiment, a portion of the ukltrasonic beam is focused on the region of interest before and during insertion of the conduit and drug to facilitate entry of the drug into the region of interest.
45 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for one of:
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(i) injecting drugs into a desired location of a region in a patient; (ii) aspirating a body fluid from a desired location of a region in a patient; which comprises; an injector means having an injector conduit with an entry end and an exit end for injecting said conduit into said patient; means for one of; (i) injecting drug through said conduit from said entry end to said exit end; (ii) aspirating fluid through said conduit from said exit end to said entry end; display means for displaying an image of said region on a video monitor; means for displaying on screen simultaneously with said image of said region a virtual image of said injector conduit; said virtual image displayed at a location relative to said image of said region corresponding to where said exit end of said conduit is located when said conduit is injected into said region providing that an operator is enabled to view said image of said region and adjust a position of said injector means relative to said desired location prior to injecting said conduit thereby ensuring that, when said conduit is injected into said region and one of; (i) said drug is injected through said conduit, said drug will enter said region at said desired location; (ii) said body fluid is aspirated through said conduit, said body fluid is aspirated from said region at said desired location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for injecting a drug into a desired location of a region in a patient which includes the steps in operable order:
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(a) providing a device which comprises; (i) an injector means having an injector conduit with an exit end for injecting said conduit into said patient; (ii) display means for displaying an image of said region on a video monitor; (iii) means for diplaying on said screen simultaneously with said image of said region a virtual image of said injector conduit; (b) applying said device to display said image and said image of said region to provide that said virtual image is in a location relative to said image of said region correspondint to where said exit end of said conduit is located when said conduit is injected into said region proviing that an operator is enabeled to view said image of said region and said virtyual image and adjust a position of sid injector means relative to said desired location prior to injecting said conduit thereby ensuruing that, when said conduit is injected into said region, and said drug is injected through said conduit, said drug will enter said region at said desired location, (c) inserting said conduit into said body with said exit end positioned at said location; (d) injecting said drug into said location. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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14. A method for one of:
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(i) injecting a drug into (ii) aspirating a fluid from a desired location of a region in a patient which includes the steps in operable order (a) providing a device which comprises; (i) an injector means having an injecter conduit with an exit end for injecting said conduit into said patient; (ii) display means for displaying an image of said region on a video monitor; (iii) means for displaying on said screen simultaneously with said image of said region a virtual image of said injector conduit; (b) applying said device to display said virtual image and said image of said region such that said virtual image is in a location relative to said image of said region corresponding to where said said exit end of said conduit is located when said conduit is injected into said region providing that an operator is enabled to view said image of said region and said virtual image and adjust a position of said injector means relative to said desired location prior to injecting said conduit thereby ensuring that, when said said conduit is injected into said region and one of; (i) said drug is injected through said conduit, said drug will enter said region at said desired location; (ii) said fluid is aspirated through said conduit from said region at said desired location; (c) inserting said conduit into said body with said exit end positioned at said location; (d) one of; (i) injecting said drug into said location; (ii) aspirating fluid from said desired location.
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Specification