An image guided catheter navigation system for navigating a region of a patient includes an imaging device, a tracking device, a controller, and a display. The imaging device generates images of the region of the patient. The tracking device tracks the location of the catheter in the region of the patient. The controller superimposes an icon representing the catheter onto the images generated from the imaging device based upon the location of the catheter. The display displays the image of the region with the catheter superimposed onto the image at the current location of the catheter.

Navigation system for cardiac therapies

A locating system for determining the location and orientation of an invasive medical instrument, for example a catheter (10) or endoscope, relative to a reference frame, comprising: a plurality of field generators (18, 20, 22) which generate known, distinguishable fields, preferably continuous AC magnetic fields, in response to drive signals; a plurality of sensors (30, 32, 34) situated in the invasive medical instrument (10) proximate the distal end thereof which generate sensor signals in response to said fields; and a signal processor (26) which has an input for a plurality of signals corresponding to said drive signals and said sensor signals and which produces the three location coordinates and three orientation coordinates of a point on the invasive medical instrument.

Medical diagnosis, treatment and imaging systems

A magnetic position and orientation determining system uses magnetic fields, desirably comprising uniform fields from Helmholtz coils (34, 36, 38) positioned on opposite sides of a sensing volume and gradient fields generated by the same coils. By monitoring field components detected at the probes (50) during application of these fields, the position and orientation of the probe (50) in the field can be deduced. A representation (108) of the probe (50) can be superposed on a separately acquired image of the subject to show the position and orientation of the probe (50) with respect to the subject.

Magnetic determination of position and orientation

System for determining the location and orientation of an invasive medical instrument

A surgical navigation system for navigating a region of a patient includes a non-invasive dynamic reference frame and/or fiducial marker, sensor tipped instruments, and isolator circuits. The dynamic reference frame may be repeatably placed on the patient in a precise location for guiding the instruments. The instruments may be precisely guided by positioning sensors near moveable portions of the instruments. Electrical sources may be electrically isolated from the patient.

Method and apparatus for surgical navigation

The location method uses relatively low frequency electromagnetic fields, e.g., 1-1000 Hz, for determining the relative position and/or orientation of a transmitting magnetic dipole antenna by using a vector field receiver. The transmitting antenna for subterranean location, is preferably a single axis, elongated solenoid with a ferromagnetic core. The receiving sensor may be a precise three-axis magnetic field detector of either a magnetometer or search coil type. Measurements are made for one or more positions of either the transmitter or receiver, or with one or more transmitters or receivers. The relative location of the transmitter and the receiver is calculated with respect to some known survey station by a method of successive approximations. The operating frequency is chosen to minimize field distortion from common steel structures, such as pipe, casing or railroad tracks, and to minimize field scattering such as from conducting inhomogeneities in the earth. Either the transmitter or receiver can be operated within metal structures such as casing. The method can be used for location of underground boreholes or pipelines; location of trapped miners; as a means of blind surveying such as in underground mines; or as a means of navigation such as in relatively shallow horizontal or vertical drilling and tunneling or in raise bore mining.

Method and apparatus employing received independent magnetic field components of a transmitted alternating magnetic field for determining location

A subsurface valve-actuator combination for well production tubing is described The valve is urged to closed position but held open by a battery-operated latch of the actuator A receiver-relay in the battery-actuator circuit maintains a switch closed to permit the latch to be energized as long as the receiver-relay receives an electromagnetic signal transmitted from the earth's surface The latch is deenergized upon interruption of the signal and/or if the battery power is insufficient to energize the same

Subsurface device actuator requiring minimum power

A subsurface valve-actuator combination (13) for well production tubing is described. The valve is urged to closed position but held open by a battery-operated latch of the actuator. A receiver-relay (72) in the battery-actuator circuit maintains a switch (74) closed to permit the latch to be energized as long as the receiver-relay receives an electromagnetic signal transmitted from the earth's surface. The latch is deenergized upon interruption of the signal and/or if the battery power is insufficient to energize the same.

Louis H. Rorden

Papers

Method and apparatus employing received independent magnetic field components of a transmitted alternating magnetic field for determining location

Subsurface device actuator requiring minimum power

Improvements in subsurface device actuators