Device and method for measuring the diameter of an air passageway

Abstract

The invention provides a device for measuring an inside diameter of a body lumen, such as an air passageway. The device includes a flexible catheter having an inflation lumen, a fluid dispenser in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and operable to communicate a measurable fluid volume change with the inflation lumen, and an expandable member in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and having a known relationship between volume and a changeable transverse dimension, the transverse dimension being changeable in response to fluid volume changes of the fluid dispenser and arranged for placement adjacent to opposing portions of an interior wall of the air passageway. The expandable member may be dimensioned for transoral placement into the air passageway, and may comprise a balloon that includes a complaint material.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A device for measuring an inside diameter of a body lumen, the device comprising: 
 a flexible catheter; and    a member carried on a distal tip of the catheter, the member having a known transverse dimension and arranged for placement adjacent to opposing portions of an interior wall of the body lumen.    
     
     
         2 . A device for measuring an inside diameter of an air passageway, the device comprising: 
 a flexible catheter having an inflation lumen;    a fluid dispenser in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and operable to communicate a measurable fluid volume change with the inflation lumen; and    an expandable member in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and having a known relationship between fluid volume and a changeable transverse dimension, the transverse dimension being changeable in response to fluid volume changes of the fluid dispenser and arranged for placement adjacent to opposing portions of an interior wall of the air passageway.    
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the expandable member includes dimensioning for transoral placement into the air passageway.  
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the catheter further includes a purge lumen.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the catheter is adapted to be steerable within bronchi.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the expandable member comprises a balloon that includes a complaint material.  
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the transverse dimension of the expandable member is arranged to have a maximum transverse dimension of between 3 mm and 12 mm.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the expandable member has a collapsed configuration for placement in the air passageway and an expanded configuration for measuring a diameter of the air passageway.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the expandable member is arranged to transition from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration while in the air passageway, and then to transition from the collapsed configuration to a re-expanded configuration for measuring the diameter of another air passageway.  
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid dispenser comprises a syringe.  
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid dispenser includes a piston and a proximal portion of the inflation lumen cooperatively acting as a piston/cylinder combination arranged to communicate a measurable fluid volume change with the remainder of the inflation lumen.  
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid dispenser comprises a syringe pump.  
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the fluid dispenser further comprises gradations corresponding to air passageway diameters.  
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein fluid communicated to the expandable member includes a radiopaque contrast substance.  
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the expandable member includes a radiopaque contrast marker arranged for visualization of the changeable transverse dimension by fluoroscopy.  
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the catheter has a distal end, and the expandable member is carried on the catheter proximal to the distal end.  
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the expandable member includes a balloon of compliant material.  
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 2 , further including a visualization device for observing adjacency of the transverse dimension and opposing portions of the interior wall of the air passageway.  
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the visualization device includes a bronchoscope.  
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the visualization device includes a fluoroscope.  
     
     
         21 . A device for measuring an inside diameter of an air passageway, the device comprising: 
 a flexible catheter having an inflation lumen and a purge lumen;    a fluid dispenser in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and operable to communicate a measurable fluid volume change with the inflation lumen; and    an expandable member in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and having a known relationship between fluid volume and a changeable transverse dimension, the transverse dimension being changeable in response to fluid volume changes of the fluid dispenser and arranged for placement adjacent to opposing portions of an interior wall of the air passageway.    
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the expandable member includes dimensioning for transoral placement into the air passageway.  
     
     
         23 . An assembly for use in measuring the inside diameter of an air passageway, the assembly comprising: 
 a flexible catheter having an inflation lumen, the inflation lumen being arranged for fluid coupling with a fluid dispenser operable to communicate a measurable fluid volume change with the inflation lumen; and    an expandable member in fluid communication with the inflation lumen and having a known relationship between fluid volume and a changeable transverse dimension, the transverse dimension of the expandable member being changeable in response to fluid volume changes of the fluid dispenser and arranged for placement adjacent to opposing portions of an interior wall of the air passageway.    
     
     
         24 . The assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the expandable member is carried on the catheter.  
     
     
         25 . The assembly of  claim 24 , wherein the catheter has a distal end, and the expandable member is carried proximate to the distal end of the catheter.  
     
     
         26 . The assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the expandable member comprises a complaint material.  
     
     
         27 . The assembly of  claim 23 , wherein the expandable member includes a balloon of compliant material.  
     
     
         28 . The assembly of  claim 23 , further including a visualization device for observing adjacency of the transverse dimension and opposing portions of the interior wall of the air passageway.  
     
     
         29 . The assembly of  claim 28 , wherein the visualization device includes a bronchoscope.  
     
     
         30 . The assembly of  claim 28 , wherein the visualization device includes a fluoroscope.  
     
     
         31 . A method of measuring an inside diameter of a body lumen, the method including the steps of: 
 placing a member having a known transverse dimension in the body lumen; and    determining that the known transverse dimension is adjacent to opposing portions of an inner periphery of the body lumen.    
     
     
         32 . A method of measuring an inside diameter of an air passageway, the method including the steps of: 
 placing an expandable member in the air passageway, the expandable member changeable in a transverse dimension and having a known relationship between fluid volume and changeable transverse dimension;    changing the changeable transverse dimension of the expandable member to a known transverse dimension by changing the fluid volume of the expandable member; and    determining that the known expanded transverse dimension is adjacent to opposing portions of an inner periphery of the air passageway.    
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , including the further step of placing a fluid dispenser operable to communicate a measurable fluid volume change into fluid communication with the expandable member, and the step of changing to a known transverse dimension includes the further step of measurably changing the volume of fluid in the expandable member with the fluid dispenser.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the fluid dispenser comprises a syringe.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the fluid dispenser comprises gradations related to air passageway diameter, and the step of determining air passageway diameter includes the further step of observing the gradations.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the step of placing an expandable member in the air passageway includes the further step of transorally placing the expandable member in the air passageway.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the step of determining includes the further step of visually observing adjacency.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the step of visually observing adjacency includes using a visualization device  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the visualization device includes a bronchoscope.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the visualization device includes a fluoroscope.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the expandable member includes a radiopaque contrast substance arranged to enhance viewing the changeable transverse dimension.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the expandable member includes a radiopaque contrast substance arranged to enhance viewing the changeable transverse dimension, and further wherein the step of determining adjacency uses fluoroscopy.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the expandable member includes a balloon of compliant material.  
     
     
         44 . A device for measuring an inside diameter of an air passageway, the device comprising: 
 means for placing a member having a known transverse dimension in the air passageway; and    means for determining that the known transverse dimension is adjacent to opposing portions of an inner periphery of the air passageway.    
     
     
         45 . A device for measuring an inside diameter of an air passageway, the device comprising: 
 means for placing an expandable member in the air passageway, the expandable member changeable in a transverse dimension and having a known relationship between volume and changeable transverse dimension;    means for changing the changeable transverse dimension to a known transverse dimension by changing the volume of the expandable member; and    means for determining that the known transverse dimension is adjacent to opposing portions of an inner periphery of the air passageway.