MRI Tracking Coil Embedded in Catheter Electrode
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheter designs for MRI-guided electrode positioning require multiple tracking devices along the catheter shaft, which occupy valuable space and rely on indirect estimation of the electrode's location, lacking direct measurement and accurate flex information.
Innovation Solution
A catheter electrode with an embedded MRI tracking coil, configured to provide direct location measurement and reduced tracking devices, featuring a cylindrical coil design with segments of specific turns and a groove structure for housing the coil, allowing precise MRI-guided positioning and flex measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple tracking devices are placed along the catheter shaft, then the location and flex of the catheter can be tracked, but valuable space on the catheter shaft is occupied and the electrode location is only indirectly estimated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the tracking coil and electrode into a single integrated structure at the distal tip of the catheter. The coil is wound around the electrode, merging two previously separate functions (tracking and electrical stimulation/ablation) into one unified component, thereby eliminating the need for separate tracking devices along the shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated coil-electrode assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the tracking device for MRI guidance and the functional electrode for electrical stimulation or ablation. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of components needed on the catheter.
2Reliability
If multiple tracking devices are used to provide flex information, then catheter positioning accuracy improves, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tracking function with the electrode function by placing the tracking coil directly on the electrode at the distal tip. This single integrated component provides both positioning and therapeutic/diagnostic functions, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of multiple discrete tracking devices with a single electromagnetic-based tracking coil that operates within the MRI system's magnetic field, simplifying the overall device architecture while maintaining tracking accuracy.
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
Enables direct measurement of the electrode's location and catheter flex without multiple tracking devices, improving accuracy and reducing space occupancy while maintaining electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties.
Implementation Method 1
The coil may comprise a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tracking coil configured to develop an induced signal having sufficient information encoded therewith to be indicative of a position of at least a portion of the catheter and to enable an MRI system to depict a location of at least the portion of the catheter in a patient.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter comprises an elongate body extending along a first longitudinal axis and having an outermost radial surface; a coil wound in a substantially cylindrical shape and extending along a second longitudinal axis that is coincident with the first longitudinal axis. At least a portion of the coil is proximate to the outermost radial surface of the elongate body.