Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-21
2001-06-19
Jaworski, Francis J. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C600S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248075
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for diagnosing the body with ultrasonic waves and, more particularly, to an invasive ultrasound device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-invasive ultrasound techniques have been used for many years to produced detailed images of bodily structures. In a non-invasive procedure, a transducer is placed on the surface of the patient's body. An image is generated by producing an ultrasound signal with the transducer, receiving the reflected portion of the ultrasound signal with the transducer, and then transmitting a corresponding signal to a device which includes imaging circuitry and a display. In echocardiography, for example, a transducer is placed on the patient's chest and an image of the heart is produced.
In recent years, invasive ultrasound techniques have been developed. Here, a miniature ultrasound transducer is mounted on a catheter that is directed into the bodily structure of interest. The image shown on the display is a cross-section (or “slice”) of that structure. One invasive ultrasound technique is intracardiac echocardiography. Here, a transducer is carried by a catheter into the patient's heart and the image shown on the display is a cross-section of the heart.
The inventor herein has determined that one disadvantage of conventional invasive ultrasound techniques is that the angular orientation of the displayed image is not fixed relative to an anatomical direction. Moreover, the image will often rotate as the transducer carrying catheter rotates relative to the patient. This rotation can be caused by operator handling of the catheter and the motion associated with cardiac and respiratory cycles. Despite the fact that physicians are familiar with the large scale anatomy of the heart and other organs, as well as the associated vascular structures, it is often difficult for them to place the displayed cross-sections within the context of the organ of interest. The physician must rely on his or her knowledge of bodily structures to first recognize the portion of the body being imaged. Once that task is completed, the physician must infer the rotational orientation of the image based on the typical orientation of that structure relative to the other portions of the patient's body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide a diagnostic method and apparatus which avoids, for practical purposes, the aforementioned problems. In particular, one object of the present invention is to provide a diagnostic method and apparatus which allows the physician to readily determine the anatomical orientation of the displayed image.
In order to accomplish at least some of these and other objectives, a diagnostic apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a catheter carrying a first ultrasonic transducer adapted to be inserted into a patient, a second ultrasonic transducer adapted to be placed in spaced relation to the catheter at either a known location within the patient's body or a known location associated with the exterior surface of the patient's body, a processing device operably connected to at least the first ultrasonic transducer, and a display device. The first and second transducers each produce ultrasonic waves that will propagate through the adjacent bodily structure. The waves generated by the first transducer ultimately produce an image of the bodily structure of interest, while the waves generated by the second transducer establish a reference point.
The present invention provides a number of advantages over the prior art. For example, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the displayed image may include two portions—the first being representative of the bodily structure of interest and the second being be representative of the location of the second transducer. Because the location of the second transducer is a known location, such as anterior side of the patient, the displayed image will immediately convey the anatomical orientation of the image to the physician. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the displayed image may be automatically oriented in a predetermined anatomical orientation. For example, the image may be displayed such that the anterior side of the image is always at the top of the display. Here again, the displayed image will immediately convey the anatomical orientation of the image. Accordingly, the present invention solves the aforementioned problem in the art.
The present invention is particularly useful in intracardiac, intravascular and endoluminal imaging applications. The present invention may, however, be practiced in conjunction with imaging applications concerning other echogenic tissue, such as liver, parenchyma, bile duct, urinary bladder and intracranial tissue. In other words, the present invention may be practiced in any echogenic portion of the body that will allow passage of a catheter. Also, in addition to imaging, the present invention may also be practiced with a wide variety of therapeutic applications. For example, the imaging features of the present invention may be used to help physicians guide various catheter-based tools, such as ablation, laser, cutting and occluding tools, to their intended locations.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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McGee David L.
Swanson David K.
EP Technologies, Inc.
Henricks Slavin & Holmes LLP
Jaworski Francis J.
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