General Electric Company

Dun Alex Li

Christopher Allen Nafis

Douglas Glenn Wildes

Vernon Jensen

Peter Traneus Anderson

Joseph Casey Crager

Jonathan David Schiff

Nora T Tgavalekos

Peter Kelley

Andrey Litvin

Weston Blaine Griffin

Richard Aufrichtig

Daniel Eduardo Groszmann

Mohamed Ali Hamadeh

Lonnie B Weston

Gerald Lee Beauregard

Douglas Karl Johnson

Daniel A Beaudet

Lisa Marie Last

Cristian Atria

In one aspect of the present technique, a method for selecting between a plurality of electromagnetic sensors to correct for one or more field distortions includes, in the presence of an electromagnetic field, acquiring signals representative of the location of a plurality of electromagnetic sensors. The method further includes selecting between the signals from the plurality of electromagnetic sensors based on one or more quality metrics. In another aspect of the present technique, a system for selecting an optimum EM sensor to correct for one or more field distortions includes a plurality of EM sensors and an additional EM sensor for transmitting or receiving signals representative of the location of each of the plurality of EM sensors. The system further includes a controller configured to acquire signals representative of the location of the plurality of EM sensors, and select between the signals from the plurality of EM sensors based on one or more quality metrics.

Method and apparatus for correction of multiple EM sensor positions

A surgical navigation system including an ultrasound catheter is disclosed herein. The ultrasound catheter includes a flexible catheter housing defining a distal end, a transducer array disposed at least partially within the catheter housing, and a motor coupled with the transducer array. The motor is configured to rotate the transducer array in order to image a three-dimensional volume. The ultrasound catheter also includes a tracking element adapted to provide an estimate of a position and/or orientation of the distal end of the catheter housing. The tracking element is disposed within the catheter housing and immediately adjacent to the distal end.

Surgical navigation system with a trackable ultrasound catheter

A system to navigate an object traveling in an imaged subject is provided. The system includes a four-dimensional (4D) imaging system to create a first three-dimensional model of the acquired imaged data correlated relative to a time reference and defined relative to a first image coordinate system. A second imaging system creates a second three-dimensional model of the imaged subject defined relative to a second image coordinate system. A tracking system tracks movement and orientation of the object relative to a tracking coordinate system. A controller includes program instructions in combination with the processor operable to register the first and second image coordinate systems and the tracking coordinate system relative to a world coordinate system, and to combine the three-dimensional model created by the 4D imaging system with the three-dimensional model created by the second imaging system with a tracked location of the object relative to the world coordinate system.

System and method to register a tracking system with intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) imaging system

A method for implementing an imaging and navigation system to perform a medical procedure such as cardiac ablation is disclosed herein. The a method includes implementing an ultrasonic imaging device to provide a generally real time three-dimensional patient image, identifying a target site on the generally real time three-dimensional patient image, directing a medical instrument to the target site using a tracking system, and performing a medical procedure at the target site.

Method for implementing an imaging and navigation system

An embodiment of an imaging system of an imaged subject is provided. The imaging system comprises a controller, and an imaging system and a display in communication with the controller. The imaging system can include an imaging probe having a marker representative of a unique identifier. The display can be illustrative of the imaged data acquired with the imaging probe in combination with a graphic representation of an imaging plane vector representative of a general direction of a field of view (FOV) of image acquisition of the imaging probe traveling through the imaged subject.

Imaging system and method of delivery of an instrument to an imaged subject

A system and method for identifying errors while tracking instrument navigations is enclosed. The method may include assigning a plurality of virtual points to a plurality of sensors. At least one of the virtual points may be a non-fixed virtual point. The assignment of virtual points to sensors may be determined based on the medical instrument, or the medical instrument attachment, being used. Virtual point locations may be determined for the non-fixed virtual point. The locations of the non-fixed virtual point may be determined based on the medical instrument, or the medical instrument attachment, being used. The vector values for vectors terminating at the non-fixed virtual point may be adjusted. The field integrity values for the virtual points may be computed. If a field integrity value is greater than a threshold value, an error signal may be communicated.

System and method for detecting errors in position tracking systems used for medical applications

A system and method to display a four-dimensional (4D) model of an imaged anatomy is provided. The system comprises a controller, and an imaging system including an imaging probe in communication with the controller. The imaging probe can acquire generally real-time, 3D image data relative to a direction of image acquisition along an imaging plane. The system also includes a tracking system in communication with the controller. The tracking system includes at least one tracking element integrated with the imaging probe. The system is operable to process the generally real-time, 3D image data acquired by the imaging probe relative to generally real-time tracking information acquired by the tracking system so as to display the 4D model of the imaged anatomy.

Intracardiac echocardiography image reconstruction in combination with position tracking system

A system and method to image an imaged subject is provided. The system comprises an ultrasound imaging system including an imaging probe operable to move internally and acquire ultrasound image data of the imaged subject, a fluoroscopic imaging system operable to acquire fluoroscopic image data of the imaged subject during image acquisition by the ultrasound imaging system, and a controller in communication with the ultrasound imaging system and the fluoroscopic imaging system. A display can be illustrative of the ultrasound image data acquired with the imaging probe in combination with a fluoroscopic imaging data acquired by the fluoroscopic imaging system.

System and method of combining ultrasound image acquisition with fluoroscopic image acquisition

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for calibration of an imaging camera or other image acquisition device. Certain embodiments include characterizing a transformation from a coordinate system of an imager to a coordinate system of a first sensor positioned with respect to the imager using a first off-line calibration. Certain embodiments also include characterizing a transformation from a coordinate system of an imaging camera source to a coordinate system of a second sensor positioned with respect to the imaging camera source using a second off-line calibration. Additionally, certain embodiments include quantifying intrinsic parameters of the imaging camera source based on a transformation from the coordinate system of the imager to the coordinate system of the imaging camera source based on the first and second off-line calibrations and information from the first and second sensors and a transmitter positioned with respect to an object being imaged.

Systems and methods for on-line marker-less camera calibration using a position tracking system

A system to navigate an imaged subject in relation to an acquired image of the imaged subject is provided. The system includes an intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) imaging system having a transducer operable to acquire image data so as to create a four-dimensional image model of the imaged subject. The model is defined in spatial relation and orientation relative to an image coordinate system. A tracking system is operable to track movement and orientation of the transducer through the imaged subject relative to a tracking coordinate system. A controller is electrically connected in communication with the imaging system and the tracking system. The controller is operable to register the image coordinate system with the tracking coordinate system, and to calibrate the image coordinate system and the tracking coordinate system relative to a common reference having fiducials of known spatial relation.

System and method to track and navigate a tool through an imaged subject

An imaging and navigation system is disclosed herein. The imaging and navigation system includes a computer and an ultrasonic imaging device disposed at least partially within an ultrasound catheter. The ultrasonic imaging device is connected to the computer and is adapted to obtain a generally real time three-dimensional image. The imaging and navigation system also includes a tracking system connected to the computer. The tracking system is adapted to estimate a position of a medical instrument. The imaging and navigation system also includes a display connected to the computer. The display is adapted to depict the generally real time three-dimensional image from the ultrasonic imaging device and to graphically convey the estimated position of the medical instrument.

Navigation and imaging system sychronized with respiratory and/or cardiac activity

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide for a system and method for modeling S-distortion in an image intensifier. In an embodiment, the method may include identifying a reference coordinate on an input screen of the image intensifier. The method also includes computing a set of charged particle velocity vectors. The method also includes computing a set of magnetic field vectors. The method also includes computing the force exerted on the charged particle in an image intensifier. Certain embodiments of the present invention include an iterative method for calibrating an image acquisition system with an analytic S-distortion model. In an embodiment, the method may include comparing the difference between the measured fiducial shadow positions and the model fiducial positions with a threshold value. If the difference is less than the threshold value, the optical distortion parameters are used for linearizing the set of acquired images.

Method and system for correction of fluoroscope image distortion

A method for restoring navigation failure information in a fluoroscopy-based imaging system is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a plurality of receiver navigation information using a calibration target rigidly attached to a supporting member of the imaging system. The calibration target may include a plurality of receivers providing navigation information and the supporting member may be a C-arm. The method identifies a navigation failure and corresponding to the navigation failure a calibrated receiver navigation information is generated. The calibrated receiver navigation information is generated using a calibration information and a C-arm imaging position obtained during navigation failure. A receiver navigation information corresponding to the navigation failure is estimated using the calibrated receiver navigation information, and a transmitter navigation information. Also disclosed is a restoration unit for restoring navigation failure information in a fluoroscopy-based imaging system and a fluoroscopic imaging system using the restoration unit.

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Salem, NH, United States of America

Dun Alex Li