MRI-GUIDED SURGICAL SYSTEMS WITH PRESET SCAN PLANES

1 . An MRI guided system, comprising:

a circuit; and

a display in communication with the circuit, the display having a User Interface (UI), the display configured to display a volumetric planning model of a target anatomical structure of a patient, wherein the UI is configured to allow a user to select at least one target site on the planning model, and wherein the circuit associates at least one pre-set scan plane for the at least one selected target site for subsequent use.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is in communication with an MR Scanner having a 3-D imaging space with a coordinate system, and wherein the circuit is configured to electronically register the planning model to the 3-D MRI imaging space to define the at least one pre-set scan plane used by the MR Scanner based on the selected at least one selected site on the registered planning model.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to allow a user to select one of a plurality of different pre-defined surgical procedures, each procedure having a defined set of proposed target treatment sites that can be electronically automatically placed on the planning model as the target sites.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to provide an adjustable template or grid of suggested target treatment sites that is electronically applied to the planning model.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the circuit is configured to automatically electronically direct the MRI Scanner to use the at least one pre-set scan plane associated with a corresponding selected target site to obtain an image slice of MR image data when a distal end portion of an intrabody device is determined to be proximate a location that corresponds to the selected target site.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the planning model is an interactive model, and wherein the UI is configured to allow a user to rotate the planning model and electronically mark target sites to select the target sites at different locations.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to present suggested scan planes that will generate at least one image slice that will include relevant local tissue associated with the at least one selected target site based on a contour of the tissue.

8 . The system of claim 1 , and wherein, in response to the user selection of the at least one target site on the planning model, the circuit also electronically associates a corresponding 3-D perspective viewing window of the model that is subsequently automatically displayed during an MRI guided procedure when an intrabody device is at the location in the body that corresponds to the selected target site.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the display comprises a viewing window with near real-time MR images of local tissue being actively treated by an intrabody device, wherein the circuit generates the near real-time MR images using at least one pre-set scan plane associated with a selected target site having a location that is proximate a calculated location of a distal end portion of the intrabody device.

10 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising at least one intrabody device with at least one tracking coil connected to a channel of an MR Scanner, wherein the circuit comprises dimensional and/or configuration data about the device, and wherein the circuit directs the MR Scanner to obtain an image slice of relevant local tissue using the at least one preset scan plane associated with a seleted target site having a location that is proximate a calculated location of a distal end portion of the intrabody device.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the image slice includes tissue at a location that is a defined distance beyond the intrabody device.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one target site is a plurality of target treatment sites, each having a corresponding at least one pre-set scan plane.

13 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the selectable procedures include different cardiac arrhythmias, each with a different suggested ablation pattern, and wherein the circuit electronically applies the suggested ablation pattern with the target treatment sites for a selected procedure to the planning model that can be electronically adjusted by a user.

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the intrabody device is an injection catheter comprising a therapeutic agent for treating congestive heart failure.

15 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the grid or template has an adjustable suggested ablation pattern of at least one transmural lesion to create a conduction block that can be electronically applied to the planning model.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to electronically apply a suggested grid or template that is automatically adjusted to fit patient contour based on anatomical features electronically located in or on the planning model.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is a cardiac system, and wherein the system comprises a therapeutic catheter with a plurality of spaced apart tracking coils on a distal end portion thereof, wherein the at least one selected target site comprises a plurality of spaced apart target treatment sites associated with different associated pre-set scan planes, and wherein the circuit is configured to track location of the therapeutic catheter in 3-D MRI image space and render a physical representation of the distal end portion of the catheter in a visualization on the display, and wherein the circuit is configured to render the visualization to show the catheter location with respect to a rendered patient volumetric model of the heart.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the circuit is configured to show near real time MRI image data on the display during an MRI guided injection or ablation therapy carried out by the therapeutic catheter using the at least one pre-set scan plane for a respective selected target treatment site.

19 . The system of claim 17 , and wherein the patient volumetric model in the visualization can comprise a tissue characterization model and/or an electroanatomical model or data therefrom.

20 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to generate suggested scan planes and show them on the display with respect to the planning model and the at least one target site.

21 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the circuit is configured to provide the planning model without the planning model registered to 3-D MRI image space, and wherein the circuit is configured to associate the pre-set scan planes with the planning model then register the planning model with the associated pre-set scan planes to 3-D MRI image space at a subsequent time.

22 . The system of claim 21 , wherein the circuit identifies spatial coordinates of the pre-set scan planes based on the registered planning model.

23 . An MRI guided system, comprising:

a circuit integrated into and/or communicating with a clinician workstation, the workstation comprising a display with a User Interface, the display configured to display at least one patient volumetric model of target anatomy, wherein the User Interface is configured to allow a user to select target sites on the at least one displayed model, wherein the circuit electronically associates pre-set scan planes for an MRI Scanner for the selected target sites for future use.

24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the system is a cardiac treatment system, and the patient model is a model of at least a portion of the patient's heart, wherein the circuit is configured to register the model to 3-D imaging space associated with an MR Scanner for an MRI-guided interventional procedure and electronically direct the MRI Scanner to use at least one of the pre-set scan planes to obtain near real time MR image data when a therapeutic or diagnostic catheter is proximate a location in the heart corresponding to a respective at least one selected target site associated with the at least one scan plane.

25 . A method for carrying out an MRI-guided procedure, comprising:

displaying a volumetric model of a target patient anatomical structure;

electronically identifying at least one target site on the displayed model;

registering the model to 3-D MRI imaging space after the identifying step and before or during introducing an intrabody device into the patient during an MRI guided procedure;

electronically associating at least one pre-set MRI image scan plane for a respective identified target site after the registering step;

guiding the intrabody device with at least one tracking coil to a target intrabody location using near real time MR image data and tracking coil signal data generated by the at least one tracking coil;

automatically electronically using the at least one pre-set scan plane associated with one of the at least one identified target sites to obtain near real time MR image data when a distal end portion of the intrabody device is determined to be proximate a corresponding location in the body based on the tracking coil signal data;

treating and/or evaluating target tissue using the intrabody device; and

displaying near real-time MR images of the target tissue during the guiding, treating and/or evaluating steps using the obtained MR image data.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the at least one target site is a plurality of spaced apart target injection or ablation treatment sites, and wherein the step of displaying the near real-time MR images of tissue being treated is carried out to show near real-time MR images of tissue being injected or ablated.

27 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the MR images comprise a close up view of high resolution MR images of the target tissue in adjacent en face and side views.

28 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the target anatomy is cardiac tissue for treating cardiac disorders, the method further comprising:

displaying a post-treatment model of the patient's anatomical heart structure;

accepting user input to select target sites on the post-treatment model to select at least one additional treatment site for clean-up to facilitate desired therapeutic coverage or a complete lesion pattern formation for electrical isolation;

electronically defining a pre-set scan plane for the selected at least one additional treatment site;

automatically electronically using the at least one pre-set scan plane associated with the additional target treatment site when a distal end portion of the intrabody device is determined to be proximate a corresponding location in the heart to obtain near real time MR image data;

treating the additional treatment site; and

displaying near real-time MR images of the target tissue during the treating step using the obtained MR image data.

29 . A computer program product for facilitating an MRI-guided procedure of a patient, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code that defines at least one pre-set scan plane for a respective target site based on a user's marking and/or selection of a least one target site on a model of a patient's target anatomical structure via a User Interface.

30 . The computer program product of claim 29 , wherein the computer readable program code that defines the at least one pre-set scan plane is configured to provide an interactive model of the patient's anatomical structure as the model.

31 . The computer program product of claim 29 , further comprising computer readable program code that generates suggested scan planes that cover tissue associated with a target site based on a contour of tissue proximate the at least one defined target site.

32 . The computer program product of claim 29 , wherein the computer readable program code that defines at least one scan plane is configured to define a plurality of different scan planes for spaced apart treatment sites associated with an ablation pattern for treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

33 . The computer program product of claim 29 , further comprising a menu of user selectable cardiac arrhythmia conditions with associated pre-defined suggested ablation patterns, wherein a user via the User Interface can select one of the conditions and the corresponding suggested ablation pattern is applied to the model to provide suggested target sites.

34 . The computer program product of claim 29 , wherein the computer readable program code that defines at least one scan plane is configured to define a plurality of different scan planes for spaced apart treatment sites associated with target injection sites for treatment of heart failure.

35 . An MRI cardiac interventional system, comprising:

a display;

a processor in communication with the display;

electronic memory coupled to the processor; and

computer program code residing in the memory that is executable by the processor for:

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) containing at least one anatomical model of at least a portion of the heart within the display, wherein the GUI allows a user to select target sites on the model; and

defining associated pre-set scan planes for the selected target sites.