Catheter Contact Mapping for 3D Navigation in Bodily Cavities
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheter navigation systems for percutaneous or intravascular procedures lack detailed visibility and efficiency in determining transducer-to-tissue contact and anatomical feature positioning, leading to cumbersome manual adjustments and increased procedure complexity.
Innovation Solution
A catheter navigation system that utilizes an input-output device system connected to a display, memory, and data processing system to receive location and contact signal sets, progressively visualizing an envelope of a bodily cavity, distinguishing regions of greater and lesser transducer-to-tissue contact through different visual characteristics, and indicating tissue-contact and no-tissue-contact regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fluoroscopic imaging is used to view catheter location, then real-time positioning information is obtained, but image detail and tissue contact assessment capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple segments with individual contact sensors distributed along its length. Each sensor independently detects tissue contact at its specific location, allowing precise mapping of contact regions without requiring a single complex imaging system to resolve all details simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Contact sensors serve as intermediary elements between the catheter and tissue, converting mechanical contact information into electrical signals that can be processed and visualized. This intermediary layer enables indirect but precise measurement of tissue contact without requiring direct visual observation.
2Productivity
If manual catheter manipulation is used to achieve tissue contact, then flexibility in positioning is maintained, but procedure time and operator workload increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to the operator through visual display of contact sensor status, showing which portions of the catheter are contacting tissue. This feedback loop enables the operator to make informed adjustments without extensive trial-and-error manipulation, reducing procedure time while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact sensors continuously monitor and identify potential contact regions before the operator commits to a positioning decision. This preliminary information allows the operator to anticipate effective positioning strategies and avoid unnecessary manipulations.
3Loss of information
If detailed contact information is provided for all catheter regions, then positioning accuracy improves, but information processing complexity and display clutter increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display system emphasizes contact information for regions that are currently most relevant to the procedure, such as areas near anatomical landmarks or regions with abnormal contact patterns. Less critical regions are displayed with reduced prominence, allowing the operator to focus on important information without being overwhelmed by complete data sets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides contact information for all catheter regions (excessive action) but selectively emphasizes or highlights only the most relevant portions (partial action) based on procedural context, anatomical features, or operator selection. This approach maintains complete information availability while improving interface usability through selective emphasis.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter navigation system may be configured to produce a plurality of location signal sets indicating a three-dimensional location of a portion of a catheter in a bodily cavity and a plurality of contact signal sets indicating degrees of detected-transducer-to-tissue contact within the bodily cavity. The catheter navigation system may be configured to, based on the location signal sets and the contact signal sets progressively visually represent in a progressively enlarging manner at least a portion of an envelope representing an interior volume of the bodily cavity, concurrently with a visual representation of transducer graphical elements representing transducers that produce the location signal sets, the contact signal sets, or both, of the portion of the catheter. The visual representation of the at least the portion of the envelope, the transducer graphical elements, or both, may respectively visually represent historical and/or presently detected degrees of transducer-to-tissue contact.