System and method for delivering a stent to a selected position within a lumen

Abstract

Method for delivering a stent coupled with a catheter, to a selected position within a lumen of the body of a patient, the method includes the procedures of: selecting a single image of the lumen, among a plurality of images of an image sequence of the lumen, receiving a position input associated with the selected image and respective of the selected position, the position input is defined in a coordinate system respective of a medical positioning system (MPS), detecting the current position of the stent in the coordinate system, according to position data acquired by an MPS sensor attached to the catheter in the vicinity of the stent, superimposing on at least one maneuvering associated image of the lumen, at least one stent representation respective of the current position, and at least one marking representation respective of the position input, according to a real-time organ timing signal of an inspected organ of the body, maneuvering the catheter through the lumen, toward the selected position, according to the current position relative to the position input, and producing an output when the current position substantially matches the selected position.

1 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus comprising:
 a processor;   an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor coupled to said processor configured to detect an electrical timing signal of a heart and generate an ECG signal indicative of a phase of a cardiac cycle of the heart;   a transducer coupled to said processor and producing an output;   wherein said processor is configured to detect said output of said transducer at predetermined points in said cardiac cycle according to said ECG signal.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said processor is configured to use said ECG signal to determine said predetermined points in said cardiac cycle. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said ECG signal is used for synchronizing said detection of said output of said transducer. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said cardiac cycle repeats and wherein said detection of said transducer output occurs at a predetermined rate within each cardiac cycle. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said predetermined points in said cardiac cycle correspond to activity-states of the heart. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein each detected transducer output is associated with a specific activity-state of the heart. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said predetermined points comprise a plurality of specific positions on said ECG signal. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said cardiac cycle repeats over a plurality of cardiac cycles and wherein said processor processes a plurality of said detected transducer outputs that were detected at the same predetermined point in each of said plurality of cardiac cycles to produce a reconstruction. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said processor sorts said detected transducer outputs acquired over said plurality of cardiac cycles according to the timing position of said transducer outputs on said ECG signal. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein said processor, in processing said transducer outputs of the same predetermined point in said plurality of cardiac cycles, does not use said transducer outputs other than those detected said same predetermined point. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein at least one of said predetermined points in said cardiac cycle occurs during diastole. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein at least one of said predetermined points in said cardiac cycle occurs during systole. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said detected transducer output comprises a two-dimensional image acquired by an image transducer. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  further comprising a two-dimensional image acquisition device and a frame grabber between said image transducer and said processor. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18  wherein said processor is configured to sort a plurality of said two-dimensional images acquired at said predetermined points in said cardiac cycles into respective three-dimensional volumes each volume being associated with a specific predetermined point. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19  further comprising three-dimensional image reconstructor configured to reconstruct a respective three-dimensional image from two-dimensional images included in respective three-dimensional volumes. 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 identifying continuously a current phase of a cardiac cycle using an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal;   sensing an output of a transducer; and   detecting the transducer output at predetermined phase points in the cardiac cycle according to the ECG signal.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein sensing an output of a transducer comprises sensing a feature of a cardiovascular system. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein said detecting produces a plurality of sensed features at the plurality of said predetermined phase points in the cardiac cycle, said method further comprising:
 sorting the plurality of sensed features detected at the plurality of predetermined phase points into one or more sets of sensed features wherein each set is associated with a particular one of said predetermined phase points in the cardiac cycle; and 
 processing one of the one or more sets of sensed features to produce a reconstruction. 
 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  further comprising:
 analyzing content of said one set of sensed features and determining values for zero-valued portions thereof by means of extrapolation.