Automatic guidewire maneuvering system and method

1. Method for guiding a catheter to a predetermined location within a lumen system of a body of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a preplanned path in said lumen system from a topological representation of the lumen system;

determining a new first position of said catheter in said preplanned path according to a position signal received respective of the first position of a distal portion of said catheter and also determining a new position to which said catheter is to be moved based on said determined first position and according to said preplanned path established from said topological representation;

operating a moving mechanism to move said catheter to a second position, according to said new determined position;

receiving said position signal and performing said operating step and when said second position is substantially identical with said new determined position determining a further new position on said preplanned path to which said catheter is to be moved and when said second position is not identical with said new determined position determining a modified path that involves at least one corrective movement for said catheter, wherein said at least one corrective movement is determined, when the orientation of said distal portion at a certain location within said lumen system, is different than at least one slope of said three dimensional path at said certain location, and wherein said at least one corrective movement includes retreating said catheter backward within said lumen system, performing one of twisting and bending of said distal portion of said catheter and advancing said catheter in said lumen system; and

directing said moving mechanism to move said catheter according to said determined corrective movement along said modified path to thereby overcome an obstruction in said preplanned path;

updating at least one of said topological representation, said first position and said second position, according to an organ timing signal of an organ timing monitor coupled with a monitored organ of said body, said monitored organ being coupled with said lumen system;

controlling said moving mechanism according to at least one of said updated topological representation, said updated first position and said updated second position;

superposing a representation of at least one of said updated first position and said updated second position on an image of at least a portion of said lumen system; and

displaying said superposition wherein said displaying step includes transforming a three dimensional coordinate system of a medical positioning system for determining at least one of said first position and said second position, to a two dimensional coordinate system of said image.

2. The method for guiding a catheter according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one corrective movement further includes twisting said distal portion of said catheter, when the advancement of said distal portion does not match the displacement of said catheter.

3. Method for guiding a catheter along a path to a predetermined location within a lumen system of a body of a patient, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a preplanned path in said lumen system from a topological representation of the lumen system;

determining a new first position of said catheter in said preplanned path according to a position signal received respective of the first position of a distal portion of said catheter and also determining a new position to which said catheter is to be moved based on said determined first position and according to said preplanned path established from said topological representation;

operating a moving mechanism to move said catheter to a second position, according to said new determined position;

receiving said position signal and performing said operating step and when said second position is substantially identical with said new determined position determining a further new position on said preplanned path to which said catheter is to be moved and when said second position is not identical with said new determined position determining a modified path that involves at least one corrective movement for said catheter, wherein said at least one corrective movement is determined, when the orientation of said distal portion at a certain location within said lumen system, is different than at least one slope of said three dimensional path at said certain location, and wherein said at least one corrective movement includes retreating said catheter backward within said lumen system, performing one of twisting and bending of said distal portion of said catheter and advancing said catheter in said lumen system; and

directing said moving mechanism to move said catheter according to said determined corrective movement along said modified path to thereby overcome an obstruction in said preplanned path.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising the step of:

updating at least one of said topological representation, said first position and said second position, according to an organ timing signal of an organ timing monitor coupled with a monitored organ of said body, said monitored organ being coupled with said lumen system; and

controlling said moving mechanism according to at least one of said updated topological representation, said updated first position and said updated second position.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said topological representation is produced by indicating an origin and a destination of an image of at least a portion of said lumen, in a coordinate system respective of said body.

6. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising imaging at least a portion of said lumen system at least one image plane which is closest to said predetermined path, among a plurality of other image planes.

7. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising imaging at least a portion of said lumen system at least one other image plane, when in at least one prior image plane, at least a portion of at least one lumen system overlaps said lumen system.

8. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising determining the shape of said distal portion, according to a plurality of position signals received respective of positions of a plurality of position detectors located at said distal portion, after performing said procedure of operating.

9. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said at least one corrective movement is selected from the group consisting of:

along a longitudinal axis of said catheter relative to at least a portion of said lumen; and

about said longitudinal axis relative to said at least one portion.