Catheter Imaging Pose Registration for Subsurface Target Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive medical devices lack sufficient imaging capabilities to accurately identify target tissue locations, especially when they are located below the surface of the passageway through which they are introduced, hindering precise navigation during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a computing system to receive images from both an imaging probe within the patient anatomy and an external imaging device, determine the relative pose between the probe and the catheter, and transform the target location from the image frame of reference to the catheter frame of reference, enhancing real-time visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an imaging probe is inserted through a catheter to reach target tissue, then the device can access deep anatomical locations, but the imaging probe lacks sufficient imaging capability to accurately identify target tissue locations below the passageway surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple imaging modalities (internal imaging probe and external imaging device) into a unified navigation system. The internal probe provides close-up views of tissue structures, while the external device offers broader anatomical context, merging their capabilities to achieve accurate target localization that neither could provide alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter serves as an intermediary structure that holds both the imaging probe and positioning markers. It provides a known geometric relationship between the probe and external reference points, enabling the system to bridge internal and external imaging data through the catheter's defined spatial framework.
2Loss of information
If multiple imaging devices are used to improve visualization, then target tissue location can be identified more accurately, but the system complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously provides visual feedback by displaying fused images from internal and external imaging devices. The real-time overlay of anatomical structures with catheter and probe positions gives operators immediate feedback on navigation status, enabling accurate target identification without requiring complex manual coordination of multiple devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or representation of the physical anatomical space by fusing images from multiple sources. This digital replica allows operators to visualize target locations and navigate the catheter through virtual reality or augmented reality interfaces, simplifying the operation of physical devices through intuitive visual representations.
3Length of moving object
If the imaging probe is extended distally beyond the catheter to reach deeper structures, then access to target tissue is improved, but the relative positioning between probe and catheter becomes more difficult to determine
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes the geometric relationship between the catheter and imaging probe before the procedure begins. By defining the relative pose parameters in advance through calibration or manufacturing specifications, the system eliminates the need to continuously measure this relationship during operation, maintaining accuracy even when the probe is extended to various depths.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical system includes a catheter and a processor. The catheter includes a first channel and a distal end portion associated with a catheter frame of reference. The processor is configured to receive a first image captured by a first imaging device provided by the catheter within a patient anatomy, and receive a second image of the patient anatomy captured by a second imaging device from outside the patient anatomy. The second image includes the catheter and the first imaging device. The processor is further configured to determine a relative pose between the first imaging device and the distal end of the catheter based on the second image, determine a target location associated with a target structure in the first image, and transform the target location in an image frame of reference associated with the first image to the catheter frame of reference based on the relative pose.