Electromagnetic Navigation for Dynamic Airway Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bronchoscopy systems face limitations in navigating three-dimensional airways due to the two-dimensional nature of fluoroscopic images and the size constraints of bronchoscopes, which hinder deep lung access and accurate tissue targeting, especially during breathing cycles.
Innovation Solution
An electromagnetic navigation system that employs soft points and tidal volume calculations for localized registration of the bronchial tree, allowing for real-time tracking and updating of a three-dimensional model of the patient's airways throughout a breathing cycle, enabling precise navigation and treatment targeting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If fluoroscopic images are used for navigation, then real-time imaging is achieved, but the ability to distinguish luminal passageways from solid tissue deteriorates and three-dimensional navigation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an electromagnetic field as an intermediary medium that penetrates tissue to provide navigation signals without requiring visual differentiation of tissue structures. The electromagnetic navigation system uses field interactions to track catheter position and provide three-dimensional spatial information, mediating between the need for real-time guidance and the inability of fluoroscopy to distinguish tissue types or provide depth perception
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual-based fluoroscopic imaging system with an electromagnetic field-based navigation system. Instead of relying on X-ray imaging that cannot differentiate soft tissues, the system uses electromagnetic sensors and fields to detect catheter position and provide spatial orientation, substituting a physical imaging mechanism with a field-based detection method that overcomes tissue differentiation limitations
2Length of moving object
If bronchoscope size is reduced to reach deep lung targets, then access to deep airways is improved, but the structural stability and maneuverability of the bronchoscope deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the bronchoscope into multiple modular components including a flexible distal section for navigation and a more rigid proximal section for support. This segmentation allows the distal portion to be thin and flexible enough to reach deep lung targets while the proximal portion maintains structural stability and allows for controlled manipulation, resolving the contradiction between depth of insertion and structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamically adaptable bronchoscope design where the stiffness and flexibility characteristics can vary along the length of the device. The bronchoscope incorporates sections with different mechanical properties that can be selectively engaged or disengaged, allowing it to be flexible during navigation to deep targets while maintaining stability when positioned for treatment, thus dynamically adjusting to resolve the strength-depth contradiction
3Ease of manufacture
If static three-dimensional models of airways are used for navigation, then initial registration is achieved, but accuracy deteriorates during breathing cycles due to patient movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static three-dimensional airway model into a dynamic model that updates in real-time during breathing cycles. The system continuously adjusts the model based on detected respiratory movements, transitioning from a fixed pre-procedure representation to a living, updating representation that maintains anatomical accuracy throughout the procedure, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of initial model creation and maintenance of precision during patient movement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors patient respiratory movements and uses this information to update and correct the three-dimensional airway model in real-time. The detected breathing patterns feed back into the navigation system, allowing automatic adjustment of the model to maintain alignment with the patient's actual anatomy, thus preserving measurement precision despite the simplicity of initial model generation
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 and stability of bronchoscopy procedures by providing a three-dimensional model that accounts for patient breathing movements, improving navigation and treatment delivery within the airways.
Implementation Method 1
an electromagnetic field generator for producing an electromagnetic field
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of registering an area of interest luminal network to images of the area of interest luminal network comprising. The method includes generating a model of the area of interest based on images of the area of interest, determining a location of a soft point in the area of interest, tracking a location of the location sensor while the location sensor is navigated within the area of interest, comparing the tracked locations of the location sensor within the area of interest, navigating the location sensor to the soft point, confirming the location sensor is located at the soft point, and updating the registration of the model with the area of interest based on the tracked locations of the location sensor at the soft point.