Multiple Sensor for Structure Identification
An volume of a patient can be mapped with a system operable to identify a plurality of locations and save a plurality of locations of a mapping instrument. The mapping instrument can include one or more electrodes that can sense a voltage that can be correlated to a three dimensional location of the electrode at the time of the sensing or measurement. Therefore, a map of a volume can be determined based upon the sensing of the plurality of points without the use of other imaging devices. An implantable medical device can then be navigated relative to the mapping data.
1 . A method for determining a location in an anatomical structure of a patient, comprising:
disposing an instrument having a position element and a condition sensor within the anatomical structure of the patient;
determining a position of the position element within the structure;
sensing a condition within the structure with the condition sensor;
forming a map of the structure with data points obtained by determining the position and sensing the condition;
illustrating the data points as a map with a display device, wherein the illustrated data points differ based on the sensed condition; and
determining a location within the structure using the map data points.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the location is based at least in part on the condition sensed with the condition sensor.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a first color and a second color to illustrate the difference in the data points is illustrated with;
wherein the first color is selected for a first value of the sensed condition and a second color is selected for a second value of the sensed condition;
wherein the map data is illustrated with the data points the first and second color.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein selecting a first color and a second color includes selecting a plurality of colors;
wherein when the illustrated data points differ based on the sensed condition a selected number of the plurality of colors are displayed to illustrate a change in temperature relative to each of the data points.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing an instrument having a position element and a condition sensor within the anatomical structure of the patient includes positioning the instrument in a heart of the patient; and
determining a location includes determining a location of a coronary sinus ostium in the heart based on the sensed of temperature of blood in the heart.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the condition is a temperature.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the position element includes detecting a plurality of voltage gradients produced by a plurality of currents generated within the patient.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of currents are generated in the x-, y-, and z-directions of the patient and evaluation of each gradient detected by the position element determines the position.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the position element includes calculating an impedance based on a voltage measured by the position element and a current generated within the patient.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the position element includes calculating an impedance based on a voltage measured by the position element and a plurality of currents generated within the patient in the x-, y-, and z-directions.
11 . A mapping system for determining a location in an anatomical structure of a patient, comprising:
an instrument for insertion into and movement within an anatomical structure of a patient;
a position element disposed on the instrument operable to sense an electrical property within the structure;
a condition sensing device including a condition sensor disposed on the instrument, the condition sensing device operable to detect a condition within the structure proximate the position; and
a processor operable to form a map of the structure by determining a plurality of positions within the structure with the position element positioned on the instrument, wherein the processor is further operable to determine a condition value for at least a condition sub-plurality of the plurality of positions;
a display device operable to display the map including the condition of the condition sub-plurality of data points;
wherein the condition sub-plurality of data points includes a first condition sub-plurality of data points and a second condition sub-plurality of data points that are displayed different on the display device.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the condition sensor is a temperature sensor operable to detect a temperature proximate the position.
13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the position element is an electrode.
14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the position element is operable to detect a voltage produced by a plurality of currents generated in the x-, y-, and z-directions within the patient.
15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein position element is operable to calculate an impedance based on a voltage measured by the position element and a current generated within the patient.
16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the map and the data points are generated only by the sensed voltage within the patient.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the instrument is operable to be positioned in a heart of the patient;
wherein the sensed condition is a temperature of blood in the heart of the patient;
wherein each of the data points is associated with the sensed condition.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine a location of the coronary sinus ostium within the heart of the patient based at least on the sensed condition.
19 . A method for determining a location in a heart of a patient, comprising:
disposing an instrument having a position element and a temperature sensor within the heart of the patient;
determining a position of the position element within the heart;
sensing a temperature proximate the position within the heart with the temperature sensor;
forming a map of the heart with data points obtained by determining the position and sensing the temperature, including:
selecting a first color for a first one of the data points based on a first value of the sensed temperature; and
selecting a second color different than the first color for a second one of the data points based on a second value of the sensed temperature;
determining a location within the heart based on the formed map.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the first value is warmer than the second value by a selected threshold.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein determining the location includes:
illustrating the formed map;
determining a region of the illustrated map with a warmer condition;
identifying the determined region as a coronary sinus ostium of the heart.