Automatic tracking of a tool upon a vascular roadmap

Apparatus for use with an endoluminal tool that is inserted into a blood vessel in a portion of a subject's vasculature, the apparatus comprising:

• an extraluminal image-acquisition device that is configured to acquire images of the endoluminal tool and the portion of the subject's vasculature;
• a display;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• generate a road map of the blood vessel in the portion of the subject's body using a first image, the first image having been acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature,
• identify a feature that is within the portion of the subject's vasculature within the first image acquired when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, wherein the feature is visible and in the same position with respect to the portion of the subject's vasculature in both the first image and a second image acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device in an absence of contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature;
• determine a distance between at least a portion of the endoluminal tool and the feature within the second image of the endoluminal tool and the feature,
• based on the determined distance between the endoluminal tool and the feature in the second image, determine a position of the endoluminal tool within the road map, and
• in response to determining the position of the endoluminal tool within the road map, drive the display to display an output representative of the determined position of the endoluminal tool within the road map.

A method for use with an extraluminal image-acquisition device that acquires two-dimensional images of a blood vessel in a portion of a subject's vasculature, the method comprising:

• using a first two-dimensional image, the first image having been acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, generating a two-dimensional road map of the blood vessel;
• identifying, by a processor, a feature that is within the portion of the subject's vasculature within the first image acquired when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature;
• identifying, by the processor, the feature in a second two-dimensional image acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device in an absence of contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, wherein the feature is in the same position with respect to the portion of the subject's vasculature in both the first image and the second image;
• coregistering, by the processor, the two-dimensional road map and the second image acquired in the absence of contrast agent, using the identified feature;
• and
• driving, by the processor, a display to display an output in response to the coregistering of the road map and the second image acquired in the absence of contrast agent.

Apparatus comprising:

• an extraluminal image-acquisition device that is configured to acquire two-dimensional images of a blood vessel of a portion of a subject's vasculature;
• a display;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• receive the images from the extraluminal image-acquisition device,
• generate a two-dimensional road map of the blood vessel in the portion of the subject's vasculature, using a first two-dimensional image, the first image having been acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature,
• identify a feature that is within the portion of the subject's vasculature within the first image that was acquired when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature,
• identify the feature in a second two-dimensional image that was acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device in an absence of contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, wherein the feature is in the same position with respect to the portion of the subject's vasculature in both the first image and the second image,
• coregister the two-dimensional road map and the second image acquired in the absence of contrast agent, using the identified feature, and
• in response to the coregistering of the road map and the second image acquired in the absence of contrast agent, drive the display to display an output.

A method for use with an endoluminal catheter selected from the group consisting of:

• an endoluminal imaging catheter and an endoluminal measurement catheter, the endoluminal catheter being configured to be inserted into a blood vessel in a portion of a subject's vasculature via a guiding catheter, and for use with an extraluminal image-acquisition device that acquires extraluminal images of the endoluminal catheter and the portion of the subject's vasculature, the method comprising:
• using a first extraluminal image, the first image having been acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, generating a road map of the blood vessel;
• identifying a distal portion of the guiding catheter within the first image that was acquired when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature;
• determining, by a processor, a distance between a portion of the endoluminal catheter and the distal portion of the guiding catheter within a second extraluminal image that shows the endoluminal catheter and the distal portion of the guiding catheter, the second image having been acquired in an absence of contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, wherein the distal portion of the guiding catheter is visible and in the same position with respect to the portion of the subject's vasculature in both the first image and the second image;
• based on the determined distance between the portion of the endoluminal catheter and the distal portion of the guiding catheter in the second image, determining, by the processor, a position of the endoluminal catheter with respect to the road map;
• and
• in response to determining the position of the endoluminal catheter within the road map, driving, by the processor, a display to display an output representative of the determined position of the endoluminal tool within the road map.

Apparatus for use with an endoluminal catheter selected from the group consisting of:

• an endoluminal imaging catheter and an endoluminal measurement catheter, the endoluminal catheter being configured to be inserted into a blood vessel in a portion of a subject's vasculature via a guiding catheter, the apparatus comprising:
• an extraluminal image-acquisition device that acquires images of the endoluminal catheter and the portion of the subject's vasculature;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• generate a road map of the blood vessel, using a first extraluminal image, the first image having been acquired by the extraluminal image-acquisition device when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature,
• identify a distal portion of the guiding catheter within the first image acquired when there was contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature,
• determine a distance between a portion of the endoluminal catheter and the distal portion of the guiding catheter within a second extraluminal image of the endoluminal catheter and the guiding catheter, the second extraluminal image having been acquired in an absence of contrast agent within the portion of the subject's vasculature, wherein the distal portion of the guiding catheter is visible and in the same position with respect to the portion of the subject's vasculature in both the first image and the second image,
• based on the determined distance between the portion of the endoluminal catheter and the distal portion of the guiding catheter in the second image, determine a position of the endoluminal catheter with respect to the road map, and
• in response to determining the position of the endoluminal catheter with respect to the road map, drive the display to display an output representative of the determined position of the endoluminal catheter within the road map.