Endoscope structures and techniques for navigating to a target in branched structure
View Patent ↗Systems and methods employing a small gauge steerable catheter ( 30 ) including a locatable guide ( 32 ) with a sheath ( 40 ), particularly as an enhancement to a bronchoscope ( 14 ). A typical procedure is as follows. The location of a target in a reference coordinate system is detected or imported. The catheter ( 30 ) is navigated to the target which tracking the distal tip ( 34 ) of the guide ( 32 ) in the reference coordinate system. Insertion of the catheter is typically via a working channel of a convention bronchoscope. Once the tip of the catheter is positioned at the target, the guide ( 32 ) is withdrawn, leaving the sheath ( 40 ) secured in place. The sheath ( 40 ) is then used as a guide channel to direct a medical tool to target.
1. A method for navigating a medical tool through a branched structure comprising the steps of:
determining a geometric shape of an interior space of a section of said branched structure by:
moving a locatable probe through said interior space;
recording said real-time location data received from a sensor near a distal end of the locatable probe; and,
processing said recorded real-time location data to create said geometric shape;
conducting a best fit correlation between said geometric shape and corresponding features within a data set representative of said branched structure;
providing an indication of a real-time location of said sensor within said branched structure positioned within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said correlating; and
advancing said sensor through said branched structure based on said indications of said real-time location of said sensor.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining a geometric shape of an interior space of a section of said branched structure comprises determining a geometric shape of an interior space of a section of airways in a lung.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining a geometric shape of an interior space of a section of said branched structure by moving a locatable probe through said section while recording said real-time location data received from a sensor near a distal end of a locatable probe comprises moving said sensor past a bifurcation within said branched structure.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining a geometric shape of an interior space of a section of said branched structure by moving a locatable probe through said interior space while recording said real-time location data received from a sensor near a distal end of a locatable probe comprises moving said sensor through connected branches of said branched structure.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an indication of a real-time location of a sensor within said branched structure positioned within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said correlating comprises providing a computer tomography display showing said real-time location of said sensor.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing an indication of a real-time location of a sensor within said branched structure positioned within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said correlating comprises providing a virtual display showing said real-time location of said sensor.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of using said data set representative of said branched structure for importing a pre-planned route map to a target within said branched structure positioned within said three-dimensional frame of reference.
8. A method for navigating a medical tool through a branched structure comprising the steps of:
(a) acquiring a plurality of images of anatomical features in a branched structure;
(b) compiling a data set from said plurality of images of said anatomical features in said branched structure;
(c) defining a three-dimensional frame of reference including at least a portion of said branched structure;
(d) advancing a locatable probe into a branch of said branched structure;
(e) recording location data relative to said three-dimensional frame of reference received from said locatable probe within said branch to develop a geometric model of a section of said branched structure containing said locatable probe;
(f) processing said recorded real-time location to create a geometric shape;
(g) correlating said geometric shape to corresponding data in said data set from said plurality of images by comparing said geometric model to said data set;
(h) aligning said three-dimensional frame of reference with said data set from said plurality of images based on said correlating; and
(i) repeating steps (d) through (h).
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of providing an indication of a real-time location of said locatable probe within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said step of aligning.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of providing an indication of a real-time location of said locatable probe within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said step of aligning comprises providing a computer tomography display corresponding to said real-time location of said locatable probe.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of providing an indication of a real-time location of said locatable probe within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said step of aligning comprises providing a virtual display corresponding to said real-time location of said locatable probe.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of providing an indication of a real-time location of said locatable probe within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said step of aligning occurs between steps (h) and (i).
13. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of providing an indication of a real-time location of said locatable probe within said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said step of aligning occurs after step (i).
14. The method of claim 8 wherein step (i) comprises repeating steps (d) through (h) with a different branch of said branched structure.
15. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of using said data set for importing a pre-planned route map to a target into said three-dimensional frame of reference.
16. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of advancing said locatable probe to a target in said three-dimensional frame of reference based on said aligning said three-dimensional frame of reference with said data set from said plurality of images.
17. A method for navigating a medical tool through a branched structure comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a probe with a position sensor element which operates as part of a position measuring system to allow measurement of a position and a pointing direction of a tip of a probe relative to a three-dimensional frame of reference;
(b) moving the tip of the probe along a first branch portion of a branched structure and deriving and recording position data of the position sensor in said three dimensional frame of reference, and processing said position data to develop a geometric model of a section of said branched portion;
(c) repeating step (b) for a second branch portion of the branched structure;
(d) correlating said position data of said first and second branch portions with three-dimensional anatomical imaging data, by calculating a best fit match between said geometric model and said imaging data, to derive a registration between the three-dimensional imaging data and the three dimensional frame of reference; and
(e) advancing said sensor through said branched structure to a target based on said registration between the three-dimensional anatomical imaging data and the three dimensional frame of reference.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of using said registration between the three-dimensional anatomical imaging data and the three dimensional frame of reference to provide a indication of a real-time location of said position sensor within said three-dimensional frame of reference.