Scanner independent tracking of interventional instruments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016367322-A1
Application number	US-201414898783-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for tracking an instrument with ultrasound includes a probe ( 122 ) for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy and a transducer ( 130 ) associated with the probe and configured to move with the probe during use. A medical instrument ( 102 ) includes a sensor ( 120 ) configured to respond to the ultrasonic energy received from the probe. A control module ( 124 ) is stored in memory and configured to interpret the ultrasonic energy received from the probe and the sensor to determine a three dimensional location of the medical instrument and to inject a signal to the probe from the transducer to highlight a position of the sensor in an image.

First claim

1 . A system for tracking an instrument with ultrasound, comprising:
an acoustic transducer associated with a probe and configured to move with the probe during use, wherein the probe is configured for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy; and a control module configured to interpret the ultrasonic energy received from the probe by the transducer and an acoustic sensor to determine a three dimensional location of a medical instrument, wherein the sensor is on the medical instrument and configured to respond to the ultrasonic energy received from the probe.

2 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to inject a signal to the probe from the transducer to highlight a position of the sensor in an image.

3 . The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the signal injected to the probe is injected in frames at t 0 +nT+t d , where t 0 is a temporal maximum of signals received by the sensor, t d is a delay inserted to simulate an echo back from the sensor, T is frame rate and n is an integer.

4 . The system as recited in claim 2 , further comprising a display configured to display images collected using the probe, the images including a bright area based on the signal injected to the probe.

5 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein transducer is mounted on the probe.

6 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein transducer is mounted on a sheath covering the probe.

7 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein transducer is mounted on a glove and the glove is employed by a user to handle the probe during use.

8 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein transducer includes one or more piezoelectric strips.

9 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control module estimates beam positions in the image and determines a position of the medical device based on the beam positions by computing frame rate and number of beams in a transmitted ultrasonic signal.

10 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transducer provides a signal indicating when beams are fired; and the sensor provides a signal when the beams arrive at the sensor such that a determination of the position of the instrument may be made.

11 . A method for determining a position of an instrument, comprising:
estimating a frame rate of an acoustic signal emitted by an imaging probe using an output signal produced, in response to the acoustic signal by at least one of a sensing acoustic transducer mounted to the imaging probe, and an acoustic sensor on the instrument; analyzing traces representing the acoustic signal received by the acoustic sensor mounted on the instrument as a function of time, within a detection window, to find a temporal maximum in the traces which best matches a position of the sensor to determine an arrival time of the acoustic signal at the sensor; and injecting an acoustic feedback signal into the imaging probe using an emitting acoustic transducer on the imaging probe to simulate an echo back from the sensor mounted on the instrument, wherein a timing of the acoustic feedback signal with respect to a frame is determined based on the arrival time of the acoustic signal at the sensor.

12 . The method as recited in claim 11 , further comprising displaying the echo in an image to identify the position of the instrument.

13 . The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein displaying the echo in an image includes causing the echo to blink in the image.

14 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein estimating the frame rate includes listening to the output signal from the acoustic sensor on the instrument for a period of time, and analyzing the output signal to determine its dominant period.

15 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the sensing acoustic transducer is the emitting acoustic transducer.

16 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein injecting the acoustic feedback signal includes injecting the acoustic feedback signal in frames at t 0 +nT+t d , where t 0 is a temporal maximum of the acoustic signal received by the sensor, t d is a delay inserted to simulate an echo back from the sensor, T is frame rate and n is an integer.

17 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein estimating the frame rate includes listening to the output signal from the sensing acoustic transducer on the probe, analyzing the output signal to determine its dominant period.

18 . A method for determining a position of an instrument, comprising:
estimating a frame rate of an acoustic signal emitted by an imaging probe using an output signal produced, in response to the acoustic signal, by at least one of: an acoustic transducer mounted to the imaging probe, and an acoustic sensor on the instrument; dividing up an image produced from received echoes of the acoustic signal into portions corresponding to individual beams of the acoustic signal to establish a location of an individual beam in the image; analyzing traces representing the acoustic signal received by the acoustic sensor mounted on an instrument as a function of time to find a temporal maximum in the traces which best matches a position of the sensor to determine an arrival time of the acoustic signal at the sensor; and computing at least one of: a location of the sensor using a transmission time of the acoustic signal from the probe and a receive time of the acoustic signal at the sensor; or a beam among the individual beams on which the location of the sensor lies to determine the position of the sensor.

19 . The method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising overlaying an indicator on the image to visually indicate the location of the instrument.

20 . The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein the acoustic transducer comprises at least one asymmetric piezoelectric strip, wherein estimating the frame rate includes listening to the output signal from the asymmetric piezoelectric strip for a period of time, and analyzing the output signal to determine its dominant period, wherein analyzing traces includes synchronizing the traces with the frame rate, and wherein overlaying includes displaying a blinking indicator in the image.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Jain Ameet Kumar
• Vignon Francois Guy Gerard Marie

Classifications

• G01S7/52073

  Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means · CPC title

• A61B2034/2063

  Acoustic tracking systems, e.g. using ultrasound · CPC title

• A61B2090/3784

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

• A61B34/20 Primary

  Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis · CPC title

• A61B8/481

  involving the use of contrast agents, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream · CPC title