Imaging Guidewire Using Blazed FBGs for 3D Vessel Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging guidewires face challenges in generating accurate 3D images of vessels due to the 'pull back' technique, which is time-consuming and prone to image smearing caused by vessel movement and other factors, and require multiple sensors and complex optical components.
Innovation Solution
The use of an imaging guidewire with multiple independent ultrasound transmit sections within a Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor, where blazed Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are tuned to different wavelengths to acquire slices of a vessel, allowing for real-time 2D or 3D imaging by combining information from these slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the pull back technique is used to generate 3D images, then a 3D view of the vessel is obtained, but the imaging process becomes time-consuming and prone to image smearing
Solution Approach 1:
The optical cavity is divided into multiple independent ultrasound transmit sections, each capable of generating acoustic waves at specific locations along the guidewire. This segmentation allows simultaneous acquisition of multiple vessel slices without mechanical movement, eliminating the time-consuming pull-back process while maintaining 3D imaging capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from mechanical movement (1D pull-back) to optical wavelength differentiation (adding a spectral dimension). By assigning different wavelengths to different transmit sections via blazed FBGs, the system achieves 3D imaging through wavelength-multiplexed simultaneous acquisition rather than sequential mechanical scanning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sensors are used to improve imaging coverage, then more vessel sections can be imaged, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple ultrasound transmit sections and their associated optical components are merged into a single integrated optical cavity structure. The blazed FBGs are inscribed within the same cavity, allowing wavelength-division multiplexing to address multiple sections simultaneously. This merging reduces device complexity compared to using separate sensors for each imaging location.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical cavity serves multiple functions: it acts as a resonant chamber for acoustic wave generation, houses multiple blazed FBGs for wavelength-multiplexed transmit sections, and provides a unified platform for both 2D and 3D imaging. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate imaging systems at different locations.
3Productivity
If the imaging guidewire remains in place during therapy administration, then real-time monitoring is enabled, but catheter exchange becomes unnecessary
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging guidewire is designed with universal applicability for both imaging and therapy administration functions. The small diameter and flexible design allow it to serve as a permanent placeholder during therapeutic interventions, enabling real-time monitoring without requiring catheter exchange. The integrated ultrasound transmit sections and interferometric sensors provide continuous imaging capability throughout the procedure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables faster and more accurate 3D imaging of vessels with reduced noise and improved resolution, allowing for real-time monitoring during medical procedures without the need for catheter exchange.
Implementation Method 1
blazed Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are tuned to different wavelengths to acquire slices of a vessel
Implementation Method 2
blazed Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are tuned to different wavelengths to acquire slices of a vessel, allowing for real-time 2D or 3D imaging
Implementation Method 3
an interferometer configured to sense acoustic energy from the region and to provide a responsive second optical signal
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for imaging are disclosed. In one example, the disclosure is directed to a sensor positioned on an elongate optical fiber. The sensor comprises a plurality of blazed Bragg gratings configured to generate acoustic energy for imaging a region in response to a first optical signal, an interferometer configured to sense acoustic energy from the region and to provide a responsive second optical signal, the interferometer including a first fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and a second FBG, wherein the plurality of blazed Bragg gratings are positioned between the first and second FBGs.