Monitoring apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10307136-B2
Application number	US-201414908181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2014
Priority date	Aug 21, 2013
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to a monitoring apparatus (100, 200) for monitoring a structural change in an object (280, 340), such as a heart wall tissue. Tissue at first and second locations exhibits first and second velocities. The monitoring apparatus (100, 200) comprises an ultrasound signal providing unit for providing ultrasound signals of the object (280, 340) for different times. The monitoring apparatus (100, 200) further comprises a discontinuity determination unit (120, 220) for determining a discontinuity of the first and second velocities based at least in part on a change in time of tissue velocity differences and of tissue velocity sums. From the discontinuity an ablation depth can be determined, which is an important parameter while performing an ablation procedure. For example, it can be used for determining the progress of ablation within the object and for determining when the ablation has reached a desired dimension.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monitoring apparatus for monitoring a structural change in an object, where the object comprises material at first and second locations along a depth direction within the object, where ultrasound signals have a first velocity at the first location of the material, where the ultrasound signals have a second velocity at the second location of the material, the monitoring apparatus comprising:
an ultrasound signal providing unit for providing the ultrasound signals to the object at different times, the ultrasound signals being indicative of the first and second velocities; and
a discontinuity determination unit for determining a discontinuity of the first and second velocities based at least in part on a difference between the first velocity and the second velocity at a first time and at a second time, and further based at least in part on a sum of the first velocity and the second velocity at the first time and at the second time.

2. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the discontinuity determination unit is configured to determine the discontinuity based at least in part on an expression:
( v ( t j ,x i )− v ( t j ,x i-1 )) a ( v ( t j ,x i )+( v ( t j ,x i-1 )) b

where (v(t j ,x i ) corresponds to the first velocity at the first location x i at the first time t j , where (v(t j ,x i-1 ) corresponds to the second velocity at the second location x i-1 at the first time t j , and where b is not equal to zero.

3. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein
b is equal to or larger than a; and/or
a is less than zero; and/or
b is larger than one.

4. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the monitoring apparatus further comprises a velocity determination unit for determining the first and second velocities from the ultrasound signals of the object for different times.

5. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the discontinuity determination unit is further configured to determine the discontinuity based at least in part on an expression:

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c

where c is not equal to zero.

6. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound signal providing unit comprises an ultrasound unit for
sending ultrasound pulses out to the object,
receiving dynamic echo series after the ultrasound pulses have been sent out to the object,
generating an ultrasound signal depending on the received dynamic echo series.

7. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the object is a tissue wall to which energy is applied for influencing the tissue wall such that the ultrasound signal providing unit provides ultrasound signals of the tissue wall for different times.

8. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the monitoring apparatus further comprises a sensing probe, in which the ultrasound signal providing unit and an energy application unit for applying energy to the object are integrated.

9. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound signals represent ultrasound reflection properties of the object at different depths and at different times, wherein the monitoring apparatus further comprises an ablation depth determination unit adapted to determine an ablation depth as the depth of the ultrasound signals at which the discontinuity occurs.

10. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the object is a wall, wherein the monitoring apparatus is adapted to determine a thickness of the object and repeatedly the ablation depth, wherein the ablation depth determination unit is adapted to determine repeatedly a degree of transmurality of ablation from the determined thickness and the determined ablation depth.

11. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 10 , wherein the monitoring apparatus is adapted to terminate an ablation procedure, if a predetermined degree of transmurality of ablation has been reached.

12. The monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 9 , wherein the object is a wall, wherein the ablation depth determination unit is adapted to determine the position of a front

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Deladi Szabolcs

Classifications

• A61B18/1492

  having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation (A61B18/1477 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B8/0883 Primary

  for diagnosis of the heart · CPC title

• A61B2090/062

  penetration depth · CPC title

• A61B2090/3784

  both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter · CPC title

• A61B8/12

  in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters · CPC title