Flattened 3D Intra-lumenal Navigation View
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical procedures for navigating catheters within body cavities face challenges in providing clear, undistorted views of curved tissue surfaces, leading to difficulties in targeting and treating specific areas, such as the left atrium, due to the curvature of the surfaces and the resulting distortions in imaging.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that transform 3-D models of curved body tissue surfaces into flattened representations, preserving relief details and allowing for a wider view of the surface, including features like the heart's left atrial appendage and pulmonary veins, by converting spherical coordinates to Cartesian coordinates, which reduces global curvature and introduces minimal distortion, enabling a more accurate and comprehensive visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional imaging techniques (fluoroscopy, electromagnetic field sensing) are used to navigate catheters within body cavities, then real-time navigation capability is achieved, but image distortion occurs due to the curvature of tissue surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the 3-D curved tissue surface into a 2-D flattened map representation, changing the dimensional perspective to eliminate curvature-induced distortion. This allows the entire lumenal surface to be displayed in a single view without the perspective limitations of traditional 3-D imaging, preserving surface detail accuracy while maintaining navigation capability.
2Area of stationary object
If the entire inner lumenal surface is displayed in a single view, then comprehensive visualization is achieved, but distortion increases when mapping curved surfaces to flat displays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the curved lumenal surface into multiple discrete landmarks and connection paths, which are then independently mapped to the 2-D display. This segmentation allows the system to preserve local geometric accuracy for each segment while achieving comprehensive global visualization, minimizing overall distortion through piecewise transformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms coordinates from a 3-D spherical coordinate system (r, θ, φ) to a 2-D Cartesian coordinate system (x, y) using mathematical relationships that preserve distance and angle measurements. This parameter transformation allows the entire surface to be displayed while maintaining measurement precision through the conservation of geometric parameters during the coordinate conversion.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple views are used to show different portions of the curved surface, then distortion per view is reduced, but navigation complexity increases due to multiple perspectives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple potential viewing perspectives into a single comprehensive 2-D flattened map that displays the entire lumenal surface simultaneously. This consolidation eliminates the need to switch between multiple views during navigation, reducing operational complexity while maintaining local surface accuracy through the preserved geometric relationships in the flattened representation.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for creation and use (e.g., for navigation) of displays of flattened (e.g., curvature-straightened) 3-D reconstructions of tissue surfaces, optionally including reconstructions of the interior surfaces of hollow organs. In some embodiments, data comprising a 3-D representation of a tissue surface (for example an interior heart chamber surface) are subject to a geometrical transformation allowing the tissue surface to be presented substantially within a single view of a flattened reconstruction. In some embodiments, a catheter probe in use near the tissue surface is shown in positions that correspond to positions in 3-D space sufficiently to permit navigation; e.g., the probe is shown in flattened reconstruction views nearby view regions corresponding to regions it actually approaches. In some embodiments, automatic and/or easily triggered manual view switching between flattened reconstruction and source reconstruction views is implemented.