Balloon Catheter Tracking With Multi-Point Deflection Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheter tracking systems fail to accurately track the deflection and orientation of expandable assemblies, such as balloon catheters, due to the lack of information from position sensors at the distal end of the shaft when the assembly deflects against cardiac tissue.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a secondary catheter with position sensors and a mechanical model to estimate the deflection and orientation of an expandable assembly by interpolating between sensor measurements, accounting for the mechanical properties of the catheter and applying a cost function minimization algorithm to determine the best match between measured and modeled positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single position sensor is placed at the distal end of the shaft, then the device structure is simple, but the tracking accuracy of expandable assembly deflection is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is segmented into multiple functional components with distributed sensors: a first position sensor on the shaft, a second position sensor on the expandable assembly, and a third position sensor on the secondary catheter. This segmentation allows each sensor to capture specific spatial information, which is then integrated to compute comprehensive deflection and orientation data, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and accurate tracking.
2Measurement precision
If multiple position sensors are distributed along the catheter, then the tracking accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a nested configuration where the secondary catheter passes through the expandable assembly, which itself is positioned on the primary catheter shaft. This nesting allows multiple sensors to be spatially distributed along the catheter length while maintaining a compact, integrated structure. The hierarchical arrangement enables accurate multi-point tracking without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If position sensors are added to track distal end movements, then the orientation tracking improves, but the cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The position sensors serve multiple functions simultaneously: they track the position of individual catheter segments, determine overall catheter orientation, calculate deflection angles, and provide spatial coordinates for 3D reconstruction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized sensors, thereby improving orientation tracking accuracy without proportionally increasing device complexity or cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes secondary and primary catheters, and a processor. The primary catheter includes shaft for insertion into an organ of a patient, first position sensor disposed on a distal end of the shaft, expandable assembly coupled at the distal end of the shaft, the assembly comprising hollow channel to allow passage of the secondary catheter distally via the assembly, and plurality of second position sensors disposed along a distal end of the secondary catheter, which are configured to indicate a respective plurality of positions along its distal end. The processor is configured to receive the indications of the positions, apply a model of known mechanical properties of the distal end of the secondary catheter to the positions to compute bending profile of the secondary catheter inside the assembly, and based on the computed bending profile, estimate orientation of the assembly relative to the distal end of the shaft.