Apparatus and method for delivery and monitoring of ablation therapy
A method of ablating tissue comprising adjusting a set of dosing parameters for an ablation catheter based on a set of optical image-derived parameters generated from optical image-derived information obtained from direct optical imaging of the tissue while the ablation catheter is in contact with the tissue. The set of optical image-derived parameters may include a color profile, a blanching parameter, or a contact angle of a distal tip of the ablation catheter. The method may further comprise comparing the color profile to a signature profile and adjusting the set of dosing parameters based on the comparison between the color profile and the signature profile.
1. A method of ablating tissue, the method comprising
adjusting a set of dosing parameters for an ablation catheter based on a set of optical image-derived parameters generated from optical image-derived information obtained from direct optical imaging of the tissue while the ablation catheter is in contact with the tissue,
wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes a color profile, the method further comprising comparing the color profile to a signature profile and adjusting the set of dosing parameters based on the comparison between the color profile and the signature profile.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of dosing parameters comprises Radio Frequency power level, ablation duration, and saline flow rate.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image-derived information comprises visual inspection of an optical image.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image-derived information comprises image processing of an optical image.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image-derived information includes spectral color composition of an optical image.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image-derived information includes surface reflectance characteristics of an optical image.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes a blanching parameter.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes an overlap ratio between adjacent lesions.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes a bubble size.
10. A method of ablating tissue comprising:
adjusting a set of dosing parameters for an ablation catheter based on a set of optical image-derived parameters generated from optical image-derived information obtained from direct optical imaging of the tissue while the ablation catheter is in contact with the tissue,
wherein the image-derived information comprises image processing of an optical image,
wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes a blanching parameter, and
wherein the blanching parameter is a time to attain a predetermined extent of change in tissue color within a pre-defined portion of a field of view.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying recommended changes to the set of dosing parameters based on the set of optical image-derived parameters.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a user response to the recommended changes to the set of dosing parameters.
13. A method of ablating tissue, comprising:
adjusting a set of dosing parameters for an ablation catheter based on a set of optical image-derived parameters generated from optical image-derived information obtained from direct optical imaging of the tissue while the ablation catheter is in contact with the tissue,
wherein the set of optical image-derived parameters includes a contact angle of a distal tip of the ablation catheter.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying the contact angle on a user interface.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising comparing the contact angle to a predetermined threshold angle and delivering a warning signal when the contact angle exceeds the predetermined threshold.