System and method for determining the position of the tip of a medical catheter within the body of a patient

Abstract

Method and system for determining the current position of a selected portion of a medical catheter inserted into a tubular organ of the body of a patient, the method comprising the procedures of inserting a medical positioning system (MPS) catheter into the tubular organ, acquiring a plurality of mapping positions within the tubular organ, displaying a mapping position representation of the mapping positions, constructing a mapping path according to the mapping positions, inserting the medical catheter into the tubular organ until the selected portion reaches the initial position, displaying an operational image of the tubular organ, a path representation of the mapping path, and an initial position representation of the initial position superimposed on the operational image, registering the selected portion with the initial position, measuring a traveled length of the medical catheter within the tubular organ from the initial position, and estimating the current position.

1 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method for determining a current position of a selected portion of a medical catheter inserted into an organ, the method comprising:
 acquiring a plurality of mapping positions of a Medical Positioning System (MPS) catheter within the organ according to output from a sensor included on the MPS catheter, the sensor electrically coupled with an MPS, a selected one of the mapping positions being defined as an initial position of a mapping path;   measuring a traveled length of the medical catheter within the organ from the initial position; and   estimating a current three-dimensional position of the selected catheter portion according to the traveled length, according to the plurality of mapping positions, and according to a plurality of calculated distances between each of the mapping positions and the initial position, along the mapping path.   
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising acquiring a pre-operational image of the organ, by an imager. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , further comprising registering a three-dimensional coordinate system associated with the MPS with a two-dimensional coordinate system associated with the pre-operational image. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising acquiring an operational image of the organ, after constructing the mapping path, to enable display of a representation of the at least one mapping path, on the operational image. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26  further comprising superimposing the representation of the at least one mapping path on the operational image. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 27 , further comprising displaying a superimposed operational image of the representation of the at least one mapping path on the operational image. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising registering a tip of the medical catheter with the initial position. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising acquiring an organ timing signal of the organ. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 30 , further comprising acquiring a plurality of pre-operational images of the organ, according to the organ timing signal. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 31 , further comprising registering each of the plurality of mapping positions with respective two-dimensional coordinates of a respective pre-operational image. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 30 , further comprising grouping the mapping positions into respective mapping position groups, each of the mapping position groups being associated with a respective point in the organ timing signal. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 30 , further comprising:
 acquiring a plurality of pre-operational images of the organ; and   associating each of the pre-operational images with a respective point in the organ timing signal.   
     
     
         35 . A method for determining a current position of a selected portion of a medical catheter inserted into an organ, the method comprising:
 acquiring an organ timing signal of the organ;   acquiring a plurality of mapping positions of a Medical Positioning System (MPS) catheter within the organ according to output from a sensor included on the MPS catheter, the sensor electrically coupled with an MPS, a selected one of the mapping positions being defined as an initial position of a mapping path, wherein the plurality of mapping positions are grouped into a respective mapping position group based on the organ timing signal;   measuring a traveled length of the medical catheter within the organ from the initial position; and   estimating a current three-dimensional position of the selected catheter portion according to the traveled length, according to the plurality of mapping positions, and according to a plurality of calculated distances between each of the mapping positions within a respective mapping position group and the initial position, along the mapping path.   
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 35 , further comprising acquiring a plurality of pre-operational images of the organ, according to the organ timing signal. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 36 , further comprising registering each of the plurality of mapping positions with respective two-dimensional coordinates of a respective pre-operational image. 
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 35 , further comprising grouping the mapping positions into respective mapping position groups, each of the mapping position groups being associated with a respective point in the organ timing signal. 
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 35 , further comprising:
 acquiring a plurality of pre-operational images of the organ; and   associating each of the pre-operational images with a respective point in the organ timing signal.   
     
     
         40 . A system for determining a position of a selected portion of a first elongate medical device, the system comprising:
 a first elongate medical device that includes a selected portion;   a second elongate medical device that is sensor enabled, wherein a position of the second elongate medical device is determined by a medical positioning system (MPS);   a traveled length detector operably coupled with the first elongate medical device, wherein a determination is made that the selected portion of the first elongate medical device has been inserted into an organ to a known location based on the position of the second elongate medical device and a measurement obtained from the traveled length detector.   
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the traveled length detector includes at least one of an interferometric system, an electromechanical system, and a variable electro-resistive system. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 40 , wherein the selected portion of the first elongate medical device is registered with the position of the second elongate medical device, wherein the position of the elongate medical device is an initial position.