Calibration Current Localization for Medical Position Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical position sensing technologies face challenges in accurately tracking the location of objects within the body, particularly due to artifacts caused by body movements and changes in impedance, which affect the precision of real-time spatial coordinate determination during medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of body-electrodes and a mapping-tool to generate calibration-currents and derive relations between these currents and positions, allowing for accurate determination of an investigation-tool's location within the body, while compensating for impedance changes and body movements using filtering techniques and matrix associations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real-time position sensing is performed using electromagnetic fields in a living body, then spatial coordinates can be obtained for medical procedures, but measurement precision deteriorates due to artifacts caused by body movements and impedance changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calibration by moving the mapping tool to multiple known positions and recording the relationship between measured electromagnetic signals and actual positions. This calibration data is stored and used to correct subsequent position measurements, compensating for artifacts before they affect measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors position measurements and compares them with calibration-based expected values. When deviations due to body movements or impedance changes are detected, the system uses the stored calibration relations to feedback-correct the position calculations, maintaining measurement precision despite changing conditions.
2Reliability
If calibration data is collected at multiple positions to compensate for body movements, then position tracking reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to multiple transducers and calibration procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The mapping tool serves multiple functions: it acts as both a diagnostic probe for medical procedures and a calibration instrument for position sensing. By integrating the mapping electrode into the investigation tool, the system eliminates the need for separate calibration devices, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-calibration by using the mapping tool to automatically determine calibration relations between electromagnetic signals and positions. The calibration process is automated and stored in memory, eliminating the need for complex manual calibration procedures and reducing operational complexity.
3Measurement precision
If filtering is applied to calibration currents to compensate for respiration and organ movement, then measurement precision improves, but loss of time increases due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs filtering and processing of calibration currents during the initial calibration phase, storing the processed calibration relations in memory. This preliminary processing eliminates the need for repeated real-time filtering during actual position measurements, reducing time loss while maintaining precision.
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 enhances the accuracy of position tracking within the body by compensating for artifacts and movements, providing precise real-time spatial coordinates for medical procedures, improving the reliability of object location determination.
Implementation Method 1
positioning body-electrodes in galvanic contact with a body of a patient
Implementation Method 2
tracking the mapping-tool at different positions in each of the regions using a location-measuring system
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes positioning body-electrodes in galvanic contact with a body of a patient and positioning a mapping-tool, having a mapping-electrode, in a plurality of regions in the body. The method further includes tracking the mapping-tool at different positions in each of the regions using a location-measuring system, and for each region, generating a respective set of calibration-currents between the body-electrodes and the mapping-electrode at the different positions in the region. A respective relation is derived for each region between the respective set of the calibration-currents and the different positions, and is used in determining the location of an investigation-tool in response to the different respective relations and investigation-tool-currents.