Balloon Catheter Inflation Timing From X-Ray Diameter Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual determination of balloon catheter inflation duration is error-prone and lacks accuracy, which is critical for the success of balloon angioplasty procedures and the risk of vessel damage.
Innovation Solution
Automatically determine the inflation duration of a balloon catheter by tracking its diameter in x-ray images using geometric parameters and identifying inflation and deflation phases through image analysis, such as convolutional neural networks, to enhance accuracy and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual timer method is used to determine inflation duration, then operation simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical timer system with an automated image processing system. The system automatically tracks the balloon catheter diameter through sequential x-ray images, identifies inflation and deflation phases, and calculates duration without human intervention. This substitution of manual mechanical timing with automated digital image analysis directly resolves the contradiction by achieving high measurement precision while maintaining operational simplicity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring and recording the inflation duration without requiring operator intervention. The automated detection algorithm continuously analyzes x-ray images, identifies the balloon catheter, tracks its dimensional changes, and computes the duration based on predefined criteria. This self-service capability eliminates human error while maintaining system simplicity, directly addressing the measurement precision issue.
2Reliability
If automated image tracking is implemented, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a multi-functional image processing system that simultaneously performs several tasks: detecting the balloon catheter, tracking its diameter throughout the procedure, identifying inflation and deflation phases, and calculating duration. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single integrated system, the patent reduces the apparent complexity increase while achieving high reliability through automated multi-step analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring the balloon catheter diameter in real-time x-ray images and comparing current measurements against predefined thresholds to identify phase transitions. This feedback loop enables automatic detection of inflation and deflation starting points, ensuring reliable duration measurement while maintaining processing efficiency through iterative comparison and decision-making algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
For determining an inflation duration of a balloon catheter (6), a sequence of X-ray images depicting the balloon catheter (6) inside a vessel (19) of a patient (5) is received. At least one geometric parameter including a diameter (18) of the balloon catheter (6) is determined based on the sequence of X-ray images and tracked over the sequence of X-ray images. A first inflation starting time of a first inflation phase, during which the diameter (18) is increasing, is determined based on the tracked diameter (18). A first deflation starting time of a first deflation phase, during which the diameter (18) is decreasing and which lies after the first inflation phase, is determined based on the tracked diameter (18). The inflation duration is computed depending on a first time difference between the first inflation starting time and the first deflation starting time.