Visualization of catheter electrode performance

Abstract

To provide a system for electrophysiological measurement.SOLUTION: A system for electrophysiological measurement includes a probe having a distal end configured for insertion into a body cavity of a living subject and including an array of electrodes that are disposed along the distal end and are configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity. A processor is configured to acquire signals from the electrodes over a period of time during which the probe moves within the body cavity, to compute, in response to the signals, metrics that are indicative of corresponding quality of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue over the period of time, and to output an indication of the metrics to a user of the system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to devices and methods for detecting and mapping electrophysiological (EP) signals, and particularly to methods for evaluating the operation of such devices.

Background Art

[0002] In cardiac electroanatomical mapping systems known in the art, an operator (usually a physician) inserts a catheter into the cardiac chamber within the patient's vasculature through the patient's vascular system. An electrode or electrode assembly at the distal end of the catheter contacts the myocardial tissue within the cardiac chamber and receives an electrical signal from the tissue, and the electrical signal is transmitted via the catheter to a mapping console. The operator manipulates the catheter within the heart to acquire signals from many locations within the cardiac chamber, whereby the console can construct a map showing the physical structure of the wall of the cardiac chamber and the distribution of electrical activity across the entire wall.

[0003] Since the operator cannot see the distal end of the catheter within the cardiac chamber, many techniques have been developed to assist the operator in visualizing and understanding the process of EP signal acquisition. For example, U.S. Patent No. 10,617,317 describes a method for highlighting an electrode image according to an electrode signal. While an electrode is in contact with tissue at a location within the heart, a graphic image of the heart including icons representing the catheter positioned within the patient's heart and the electrodes on the catheter is presented on a display screen. The method further includes acquiring an electrical signal from the tissue at that location using the electrode and processing the acquired signal to detect the occurrence of a predefined signal feature in the acquired signal. The method also includes modifying a visual feature of at least one of the icons representing the electrode and the icon representing the catheter on the display screen when the occurrence of the predefined signal feature is detected.

[0004] As another example, U.S. Patent No. 10,582,872 describes a method and system for visualizing electrophysiological information detected by electrodes on a catheter. The method includes recording the time of electrode signal acquisition, designating a reference electrode signal acquisition, assigning a relative time to each recorded time of electrode signal acquisition with respect to the reference electrode signal acquisition, identifying the electrodes involved in the signal acquisition, generating a sequence of electrode signal acquisitions by correlating the assigned relative time with the identified electrodes, and generating a visual representation of the sequence of electrode signal acquisitions by generating a graphic image of the electrodes, wherein each electrode is visually marked to represent the sequence of electrode signal acquisitions. [Overview of the project] [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Embodiments of the present invention described herein hereafter provide improved methods and systems for the visualization of EP signal acquisition.

[0006] Accordingly, according to embodiments of the present invention, a system for electrophysiological measurement is provided, comprising a probe having a distal end, the distal end being configured for insertion into a body cavity of a biological object, and comprising an array of electrodes arranged along the distal end and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity. A processor is configured to acquire signals from the electrodes over the period the probe moves within the body cavity, and in response to the signals, calculate an index indicating the respective quality of contact between each electrode and the tissue over the period, and output a display of the index to the user of the system.

[0007] In some embodiments, the probe includes a catheter, the distal end of which is configured for insertion into the cardiac chambers of a living subject's heart.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, the distal end of the probe includes a flexible structure on which electrodes are arranged, and the indicator shows contact between different parts of the flexible structure and the tissue. In some embodiments, the structure includes a plurality of flexible spines, along which electrodes are positioned.

[0009] In some embodiments, the processor is configured to render a graphical icon representing the distal end on a display and to incorporate a visual representation of an indicator at each position of the distal end electrode into the graphical icon. In the disclosed embodiments, the indicator is represented by a color coding of each position of the electrode on the graphical icon.

[0010] In one embodiment, the index indicates the number of valid signals acquired from tissue by each electrode over a period of time. Typically, the processor is configured to apply one or more filtering criteria to the signals in order to classify each first set of signals acquired from each electrode as valid, while classifying each second set of signals acquired by each electrode as invalid.

[0011] In other embodiments, the index indicates the respective durations during which each electrode is in contact with tissue within a body cavity over a period of time. In one such embodiment, the signal indicates electrophysiological activity within the tissue, and the processor is configured to distinguish between local signals acquired by electrodes in contact with the tissue and far-field signals acquired by electrodes not in contact with the tissue, and to find the durations during which each electrode is in contact with the tissue in response to the relationship between the local and far-field signals acquired by each electrode over a period of time.

[0012] According to embodiments of the present invention, a method for electrophysiological measurement is provided, comprising inserting a probe having a distal end into a body cavity of a biological object, wherein the distal end includes an array of electrodes arranged along the distal end and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity. Signals are acquired from the electrodes within the body cavity over the period during which the probe moves within the body cavity. In response to the signals, an index is calculated, which indicates the quality of contact between each electrode and the tissue over the period. A display of the index is output to the user of the system.

[0013] This invention will be more fully understood by considering the following "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention" in conjunction with the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a system for electroanatomical mapping according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of graphical icons showing the performance of electrodes on a catheter used when acquiring EP signals according to embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3] This flowchart schematically illustrates a method for evaluating and visualizing electrode performance according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] overview Mapping systems typically acquire electrical signals from hundreds or even thousands of different points along the walls of the cardiac chambers to generate an accurate electroanatomical map of the cardiac chambers. To reduce the time required to acquire this large amount of data, mapping systems usually use catheters with many electrodes at their distal end, which can simultaneously detect signals from different locations within the cardiac chambers. The electrodes are typically arranged along a flexible structure at the distal end of the catheter, such as a balloon, or along a structure with multiple flexible spines, such as a basket or multi-arm assembly, along which electrodes are positioned.

[0016] In typical operation, not all electrodes are in contact with tissue at any given time. Signals received by catheter electrodes not in contact with tissue within the heart are generally dominated by far-field signals transmitted through the blood pool in which the electrodes are immersed. This far-field component is a limited diagnostic value. When catheter electrodes are in contact with cardiac tissue, the amplitude of the signal is primarily derived from local tissue conductivity, with only a small contribution from the far-field.

[0017] Therefore, for efficient and accurate EP measurement and mapping, it is generally desirable that as many electrodes as possible are always in contact with the tissue during the procedure, and that the contact is of good quality so that the signals are suitable for incorporation into the map. By the same token, when a new catheter is under development, it is important for the designer to understand how each electrode performs in terms of consistent tissue contact in order to optimize the distal structure of the catheter and the placement of electrodes on this structure. While it is possible to evaluate the performance of any single electrode by observing the signals it collects, the volume of data provided by the signals from the entire array of electrodes at any given time is too large for the operator or designer to digest. Thus, for example, it is difficult for the designer to evaluate which electrodes make consistently good contact with the tissue and which do not as the catheter moves through the cardiac chambers in order to improve the design to achieve better and more consistent contact. Automated tools that can be provided to developers and catheter users for this type of evaluation and support are needed when improving their design and operational techniques.

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention described herein address this problem by providing a visual representation of the performance of each electrode in an electrode array at the distal end of a probe, such as a catheter, in a system for electrophysiological measurement. To generate this representation, a processor acquires signals from the electrodes as the probe moves within a body cavity, such as a cardiac chamber. Based on the acquired signals, the processor continuously evaluates the quality of contact between each electrode and the tissue within the cavity wall. For this purpose, for example, the processor may process the signals acquired from each electrode to distinguish between local and far-field signals, or to measure the impedance through the electrodes.

[0019] For each electrode, the processor then calculates an index indicating the quality of contact between the electrode and the tissue over the period the probe is moved within the body cavity. The index may, for example, indicate the number of valid signals acquired by each electrode from the tissue over the period. For this purpose, for example, the processor may apply filtering criteria to the signals to classify signals that meet the criteria as valid, while classifying signals that do not meet the criteria and should therefore be discarded as invalid. Methods and criteria for performing this type of filtering are described, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 16 / 995,036, filed August 17, 2020, which has been assigned to the assignee of this patent application and is incorporated herein by reference with a copy attached to the appendix. Additionally or alternatively, the index may indicate the duration over which each electrode is found to be in contact with the tissue over the period.

[0020] The processor outputs an indicator display to the system user. In the embodiments described below, the display takes the form of a graphical icon representing the distal end of the probe, which the processor renders on a display. The icon includes a visual representation of the indicator at the electrode position on the distal end of the probe, for example, by color coding the electrode position on the display. This icon and / or other output allows the operator or designer to visualize the effectiveness of each electrode in contact with tissue and, therefore, in some cases, to improve either the probe design or the operating technique to optimize the efficiency of data acquisition and mapping. For example, the designer can eliminate electrodes with poor contact quality and / or concentrate electrodes in areas of the probe with good contact quality to maximize the acquisition of effective signals relative to the available area and the number of signal wires in the probe.

[0021] For the sake of specificity and clarity, the embodiments shown in the drawings and described below relate, by way of example, to a particular type of system for electroanatomical mapping and a basket catheter that can be used in such a system. However, the principles of the present invention are not limited to this particular type of catheter or system, and may equally apply to other types of cardiac catheters for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, as well as probes used for diagnostic measurements and treatment in other body cavities. All such alternative implementations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

[0022] Description of the System FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a system 20 for mapping EP parameters in a heart 26 of a patient 28, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments shown in the current figure and subsequent figures refer to an example of acquiring EP signals from the heart chambers of the heart 26. In alternative embodiments, the values of the EP parameters will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a reading of this description, but can be acquired using other types of mapping devices, not only from within the heart but also from other organs and tissues.

[0023] The operator 30 maneuvers the catheter 22 towards a target position in the heart 26 of the patient 28 by operating the shaft 23 of the catheter using a manipulator 32 near the proximal end of the catheter. In the illustrated example, the catheter 22 comprises a basket assembly 40 at its distal end, as shown in the insert FIG. 45. As seen in the insert FIG. 25, the operator 30 operates the catheter 22 to perform electroanatomical mapping of the heart chambers of the heart 26. As will be described in more detail below, the EP signals are acquired from myocardial tissue by contacting the electrodes 48 on the basket assembly 40 with tissue within the heart.

[0024] In the illustrated example, for the purpose of position tracking, the basket assembly 40 incorporates a pair of magnetic sensors 50A and 50B as seen in the insert figure 45 at the proximal and distal ends of the basket assembly 40. Alternatively, the catheter 22 may be provided with other types of magnetic sensors at these or other positions. Alternatively or additionally, the catheter may be provided with other types of position sensors, such as impedance-based position sensors or ultrasonic position sensors, as are well known in the art.

[0025] The basket assembly 40 includes a plurality of expandable spines 55 that are mechanically flexible. A plurality of electrodes 48 are fixed to respective dorsal columns, for example, a total of 120 electrodes. The electrodes 48 are configured to contact the tissue within the heart 26 for the purpose of detecting an EP signal, that is, an intracardiac electrogram signal, in the depicted example. The magnetic sensors 50A and 50B and the electrodes 48 are connected to a processing circuit in the console 24 by wires (not shown) that are drawn through the catheter 22.

[0026] Alternatively, the system 20 may include other types of catheters having other types of electrode arrays, such as an expandable balloon catheter having electrodes 48 on its outer surface, or a catheter having one or more flexible arms or a curved "fishing line" at the distal end of the catheter.

[0027] System 20 locates the position of the electrodes 48 by providing a position tracking subsystem 43 within the console 24 for finding the position and orientation of the basket assembly 40. The patient 28 is placed in a magnetic field generated by a pad containing a magnetic field generator coil 42 driven by the position tracking subsystem 43. The magnetic field generated by the coil 42 produces electrical signals in sensors 50A and 50B, which indicate the position and orientation of the sensors. The signals from sensors 50A and 50B are transmitted back to the position tracking subsystem 43, which converts the signals into corresponding digital inputs to the processor 41. The processor 41 uses these inputs to calculate the position and orientation of the basket assembly 40 so that the coordinates of the corresponding positions of the electrodes 48 can be found.

[0028] Alternatively or additionally, as described above, the system 20 may use other methods of position detection to determine the position of the electrode 48. For example, the processor 41 may map the position of the electrode 48 by measuring the impedance between the electrode 48, which is placed on the chest of the patient 28 and connected to the console 24 by leads 39, and the electrode 49 on the body surface.

[0029] The processor 41 further receives EP signals from the electrodes 48 on the basket assembly 40 via the front-end circuitry 44. These circuits apply analog and / or digital filters and amplifiers to the signals under the control of the processor. In a typical clinical application, the processor 41 uses the information contained in these EP signals, along with the coordinates provided by the magnetic sensors 50A and 50B, to construct an electroanatomical map of the cardiac chambers of the heart 26 where the basket assembly 40 is located, such as a map showing the voltage level of the EP signals as a function of position along the cardiac chamber wall or the local activation time (LAT). However, in this embodiment, the processor 41 renders a graphical icon 60 representing the basket assembly 40 on the display 27. The icon 60 incorporates a visual representation of the quality of contact of the electrodes 48 at each position of the electrodes on the basket assembly. A method for calculating an index indicating the quality of contact and their incorporation into the icon 60 is described below.

[0030] The processor 41 is typically programmed with software to perform the functions described herein. The software can be downloaded electronically to a computer, for example, over a network, or alternatively or additionally, it can be provided and / or stored on a non-temporary physical medium such as magnetic memory, optical memory, or electronic memory. In particular, the processor 41 operates a dedicated algorithm that enables the processor to perform the disclosed steps of data acquisition, contact quality calculation, and operator guidance, as described below.

[0031] As previously stated, the examples shown in Figure 1 are selected solely for the purpose of simplifying the concepts. For simplicity and clarity, Figure 1 shows only the elements relating to the disclosure technique. System 20 typically includes additional modules and elements that are not directly related to the disclosed technology and are therefore intentionally omitted from Figure 1 and the corresponding description.

[0032] Quality assessment and labeling of particles In response to signals provided by electrodes 48 on the basket assembly 40, the processor 41 evaluates the quality of contact between each electrode and the tissue within the heart 26. Any one of the electrodes 48 may be in full or partial contact with the tissue of the heart at any given time. Alternatively, any one of the electrodes may be separated from the tissue by a fluid, such as blood, within the cardiac chamber, and then receive signals from the tissue only through the fluid. The quality of contact (full or partial contact, or contact via fluid) of any one of the catheter electrodes with the tissue can be evaluated based on the signals supplied by the catheter. Based on these signals, the processor 41 measures the quality of contact over the period as the basket assembly 40 moves through the cardiac chambers. The processor calculates an index for each electrode indicating the quality of contact, for example, as a function of the duration the electrode is in contact with the tissue over this period. In some embodiments, the index for any given electrode corresponds to the number of valid signals acquired by the electrode during the period in question, or the fraction of the period during which the quality of contact between the electrode and the tissue was good.

[0033] As used herein and in the claims, the term “quality of contact” is defined as a quantitative indicator of the degree of stable electrical contact between any one of the catheter electrodes and tissue. “Quality of contact” can be expressed, for example, directly with respect to measured electrical impedance, or indirectly with respect to contact force or pressure, or based on the amplitude of the EP signal acquired by electrode 48. A method for evaluating the quality of contact between multiple electrodes on a catheter and tissue in the heart is described in detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0367829, assigned to the assignee of this patent application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, together with copies in the appendix.

[0034] Additionally or alternatively, the quality of contact may be expressed in relation to the quality of signal acquisition through the electrodes, based on the number of signals acquired by each electrode 48 that are known to meet certain filtering criteria, such as the criteria described in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 995,036 above. In one embodiment using this type of quality index, the processor 41 acquires signals from each electrode 48 in the cardiac chambers within a specific time window of interest during each heartbeat cycle. (The start time of the heartbeat cycle, known as the “reference note,” is typically derived from the ECG signal received from the body surface electrode 49, and the window is defined relative to this reference note.) If the acquired signal and electrode position during acquisition meet the filtering criteria, the processor 41 counts the signal as valid and increments the count of valid signals for that electrode. Otherwise, the signal is considered invalid and discarded. The contact quality index for each electrode is based on its respective count.

[0035] As an example, and not an exhaustive list, filtering criteria used when counting valid signals may include the following: For example, proximity to the cardiac chamber wall based on electrode position coordinates is measured by a magnetic tracking system against the wall surface reconstructed by a Fast Anatomical Mapping (FAM) algorithm. Only signals acquired at positions within a threshold distance of the wall are considered valid. • Stability of the catheter during acquisition. The processor 41 detects the range and movement speed of the basket assembly 40 during EP signal acquisition. If the basket assembly moves beyond a certain maximum distance during EP sample or sample set acquisition, the processor will reject the signal as invalid. • The voltage is too low. The processor 41 filters the EP signals by voltage level and counts only those signals whose voltage is greater than a certain minimum value as valid.

[0036] Only signals that meet all of the above criteria are counted as valid. Thresholds (for wall proximity, stability, and voltage) can be fixed or set by the operator of system 20, among other things.

[0037] In other embodiments, the processor 41 measures the impedance between the electrode 48 and the body surface electrode 49. The magnitude of the impedance provides an indication of the quality of contact. Typically, a higher impedance value between one of the electrodes and the body surface electrode indicates a higher quality of contact between that catheter electrode and the tissue, while a low impedance indicates that the electrode is immersed in the blood within the heart. The processor 41 may use the impedance values ​​when calculating an index indicating the quality contact between each of the catheter electrodes and the tissue.

[0038] Alternatively or additionally, the impedance between pairs of electrodes 48 on the basket 40 may be used as a measure of the quality of contact. Tissue contact can be assessed by comparing the impedance values ​​across the set of electrodes to pre-measured impedance values, including values ​​measured for electrodes known to be in good tissue contact and other values ​​for electrodes known to be in contact only with blood.

[0039] In addition or alternatively, machine learning techniques may be used to evaluate the quality of contact between the electrode 48 and myocardial tissue, for example, as described in U.S. Patent No. 9,168,004, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference with a copy in the appendix.

[0040] In some embodiments, the probe under evaluation may include a force or pressure sensor (not shown). The force or pressure measure provides an indication of the quality of contact, such that higher force or pressure values ​​indicate higher quality of contact between the corresponding electrode and tissue, and vice versa.

[0041] In some embodiments, the EP signal acquired from the electrode 48 is used to evaluate the quality of contact between the electrode and the tissue. The processor 41 distinguishes between the local signal acquired when the electrode is in contact with tissue and when the electrode is not, and determines the quality of contact based on the relationship between the local signal and the far-field signal. For example, the maximum amplitude (voltage) of the EP signal associated with any given electrode indicates the quality of contact between the electrode and the tissue, and consequently, a higher value of the maximum amplitude of the EP signal indicates a higher quality of contact between that catheter electrode and the tissue. The processor 41 can use the amplitude of the EP signal when calculating an index indicating the quality of contact between each catheter electrode and the tissue.

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, the processor 41 may apply other methods for measuring the quality of contact between the electrode and the tissue 48, such as the methods further described in the aforementioned Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0367829 or other methods known in the art.

[0043] Herein, we refer to Figures 2 and 3, which schematically illustrate a method for evaluating and visualizing electrode performance according to embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of graphical icons 60 indicating the quality of contact of an electrode on a catheter used when acquiring an EP signal, and Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method for calculating and displaying a contact quality index. The method is described herein with specific reference to a catheter 22 as shown in Figure 1. However, it can be applied mutatis mutandis to other types of catheters.

[0044] The processor 41 typically renders icons 60 on the display 27 and overlays markings 62 onto the icons 60 corresponding to each position of the electrodes 48 on the spine 55. The markings 62 are color-coded to indicate the contact quality index of each corresponding electrode, for example, using a "thermal" scale (represented by different hatch styles in Figure 2) where blue indicates the least contact and red indicates the most contact. Thus, in the depicted example, position 62B made relatively poor contact with the myocardial tissue, while another position 62R made good contact.

[0045] The color coding of the markings 62 implicitly indicates which spines or which parts of spines frequently and which did not frequently contact myocardial tissue. The designer of the catheter 22 can then modify the shape of the spines or the distribution of electrodes on them to optimize the design. If the catheter is used in different chambers in different technical fields, the contact indicators may differ. Therefore, the designer may develop different basket and electrode layouts for different applications. Using the same tokens, the operator of the system 20 can improve their mapping techniques to more effectively capture EP data using the color coding on the icons 60.

[0046] As a first step in creating and coloring the icon 60, the processor 41 collects data against the electrodes 48 in the acquisition step 70, as shown in Figure 3, while the basket 40 moves into an anatomical structure such as the atrium. In this embodiment, the acquired data includes EP signals detected by the electrodes, but other types of data, such as impedance or pressure measurements, may be acquired alternatively or additionally. In the quality assessment step 72, the processor 41 measures the quality of the contact formed by each electrode with the tissue and calculates a corresponding index.

[0047] Based on this evaluation, the processor outputs a display of the contact quality index for each electrode in the quality display step 74. For example, the electrode position 62 on icon 60 may be colored according to the quality index as shown in Figure 2. Alternatively or additionally, other types of graphical and / or numerical outputs may be used, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this specification.

[0048] The embodiments described above are illustrative examples, and it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to those specifically illustrated and described above. Rather, the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and partial combinations of the various features described above, as well as variations and modifications thereof not disclosed in the prior art, which would be conceived by those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.

[0049] [Implementation Method] (1) A system for electrophysiological measurements, A probe having a distal end, the distal end being configured for insertion into a body cavity of a living subject, and comprising an array of electrodes arranged along the distal end and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity, A system comprising: a processor configured to acquire signals from the electrodes over the period during which the probe moves within the body cavity, to calculate an index indicating the quality of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue over the period in response to the signals, and to output a display of the index to the user of the system. (2) The system according to Embodiment 1, wherein the probe comprises a catheter, and the distal end is configured for insertion into the cardiac chambers of the heart of the living subject. (3) The system according to Embodiment 1, wherein the distal end of the probe comprises a flexible structure on which the electrodes are arranged, and the indicator indicates contact between different parts of the flexible structure and the tissue. (4) The system according to Embodiment 3, wherein the structure comprises a plurality of flexible spines, and the electrodes are arranged along them. (5) The system according to Embodiment 1, wherein the processor is configured to render a graphical icon representing the distal end on a display and to incorporate a visual representation of the indicator at each position of the electrode at the distal end into the graphical icon.

[0050] (6) The system according to embodiment 5, wherein the indicator is represented by the color coding of the respective positions of the electrodes on the graphical icon. (7) The system according to Embodiment 1, wherein the index indicates the number of effective signals obtained from the tissue by each of the electrodes over the period. (8) The system according to Embodiment 7, wherein the processor is configured to apply one or more filtering criteria to the signals in order to classify each first set of the signals obtained from each of the electrodes as valid, while classifying each second set of the signals obtained from each of the electrodes as invalid. (9) The system according to Embodiment 1, wherein the index indicates the respective duration of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue within the body cavity over the period. (10) The system according to Embodiment 9, wherein the signal indicates electrophysiological activity within the tissue, and the processor is configured to distinguish between a local signal acquired by the electrode in contact with the tissue and a far-field signal acquired by the electrode not in contact with the tissue, and to find the duration during which each of the electrodes is in contact with the tissue in response to the relationship between the local signal and the far-field signal acquired by each of the electrodes over the period.

[0051] (11) Methods for electrophysiological measurements, The method involves inserting a probe having a distal end into a body cavity of a living organism, wherein the distal end comprises an array of electrodes arranged along the distal end and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity. The process involves acquiring signals from the electrodes within the body cavity over the period during which the probe moves within the body cavity, In response to the aforementioned signal, an index indicating the quality of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue over the aforementioned period is calculated, A method comprising outputting the display of the aforementioned indicator to the user of the system. (12) The method according to embodiment 11, wherein the probe comprises a catheter, and acquiring the signal involves moving the distal end of the catheter within the cardiac chamber of the target heart. (13) The method according to embodiment 11, wherein the distal end of the probe comprises a flexible structure on which the electrodes are arranged, and the indicator indicates contact between different parts of the flexible structure and the tissue. (14) The method according to embodiment 13, wherein the structure comprises a plurality of flexible spines, and the electrodes are arranged along them. (15) The method according to Embodiment 11, wherein outputting the display includes rendering a graphical icon representing the distal end on a display and incorporating a visual representation of the indicator at each position of the electrode at the distal end into the graphical icon.

[0052] (16) The method according to embodiment 15, wherein the indicator is represented by the color coding of the respective positions of the electrodes on the graphical icon. (17) The method according to Embodiment 11, wherein the index indicates the number of effective signals obtained from the tissue by each of the electrodes over the period. (18) The method of Embodiment 17, wherein calculating the index involves applying one or more filtering criteria to the signals to classify each first set of the signals acquired from each of the electrodes as valid, while classifying each second set of the signals acquired from each of the electrodes as invalid. (19) The method according to Embodiment 11, wherein the index indicates the respective duration of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue within the body cavity over the period. (20) The method of Embodiment 19, wherein the signal indicates electrophysiological activity within the tissue, and the calculation of the index includes distinguishing between a local signal acquired by the electrode in contact with the tissue and a far-field signal acquired by the electrode not in contact with the tissue, and finding the duration during which each of the electrodes is in contact with the tissue in response to the relationship between the local signal and the far-field signal acquired by each of the electrodes over the period.

Claims

1. A system for electrophysiological measurements, A probe having a distal end, the distal end being configured for insertion into a body cavity of a living subject, and comprising an array of electrodes arranged along the distal end and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within the body cavity, A processor configured to acquire signals from the electrodes over the period during which the probe moves within the body cavity, calculate an index indicating the quality of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue over the period in response to the signals, and output a display of the index to the user of the system The aforementioned indicators represent the respective durations during which each of the electrodes is in contact with the tissue within the body cavity over the aforementioned period. The signal indicates electrophysiological activity within the tissue, and the processor is configured to distinguish between a local signal acquired by the electrode in contact with the tissue and a far-field signal acquired by the electrode not in contact with the tissue, classify the local signals acquired by each of the electrodes over the period as valid for calculating the duration, and classify the far-field signals as invalid for calculating the duration, thereby calculating the duration during which each of the electrodes is in contact with the tissue. system.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the probe comprises a catheter, and the distal end is configured for insertion into the cardiac chambers of the heart of the living subject.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the probe comprises a flexible structure on which the electrodes are arranged, and the indicator indicates contact between different parts of the flexible structure and the tissue.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the flexible structure comprises a plurality of flexible spines, and the electrodes are arranged along them.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to render a graphical icon representing the distal end on a display and to incorporate a visual representation of the indicators at each position of the electrode at the distal end into the graphical icon.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the indicator is represented by the color coding of the respective positions of the electrodes on the graphical icon.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to apply one or more filtering criteria to the signals in order to classify each second set of the signals acquired by each of the electrodes as invalid for the calculation of the duration, while classifying each first set of the signals acquired by each of the electrodes as valid for the calculation of the duration.

8. A program for electrophysiological measurement, wherein when the program is loaded into the processor, the processor performs the following actions: A signal is acquired from an array of electrodes, which are arranged along the distal end of a probe and configured to contact tissue at multiple locations within a body cavity, over the period during which the probe moves within the body cavity. In response to the aforementioned signal, an index indicating the quality of contact between each of the electrodes and the tissue over the aforementioned period is calculated, The display of the aforementioned indicators is output to the user, and the following is performed: The aforementioned indicators represent the respective durations during which each of the electrodes is in contact with the tissue within the body cavity over the aforementioned period. The signal indicates electrophysiological activity within the tissue, and the calculation of the index includes distinguishing between a local signal acquired by the electrode in contact with the tissue and a far-field signal acquired by the electrode not in contact with the tissue, and calculating the duration during which each electrode is in contact with the tissue by classifying the local signals acquired by each of the electrodes over the period as valid for calculating the duration and classifying the far-field signals as invalid for calculating the duration. program.

9. The program according to claim 8, wherein the probe comprises a catheter, and acquiring the signal includes moving the distal end of the catheter within the cardiac chambers of a living subject's heart.

10. The program according to claim 8, wherein the distal end of the probe comprises a flexible structure on which the electrodes are arranged, and the indicator indicates contact between different parts of the flexible structure and the tissue.

11. The program according to claim 10, wherein the flexible structure comprises a plurality of flexible spines, and the electrodes are arranged along them.

12. The program according to claim 8, wherein outputting the display includes rendering a graphical icon representing the distal end on a display and incorporating a visual representation of the indicators at each position of the electrode at the distal end into the graphical icon.

13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the indicator is represented by the color coding of the respective positions of the electrodes on the graphical icon.

14. The program according to claim 8, wherein calculating the index includes applying one or more filtering criteria to the signals in order to classify each second set of the signals acquired by each of the electrodes as invalid for the calculation of the duration, while classifying each first set of the signals acquired by each of the electrodes as valid for the calculation of the duration.

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