Method and apparatus for visualizing a medical instrument under ultrasound guidance
AssigneeFujifilm Sonosite, Inc.
InventorsQinglin Ma, Kerem Karadayi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods of facilitating the viewing of interventional instruments (e.g., needles, catheters, guidewires, vascular filters, biopsy probes) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a portable, handheld or cart-based ultrasound imaging machine is connected to an external laser light source that transmits laser light to a tip of an interventional instrument via one or more optical fibers. The laser light is absorbed at the distal tip of the instrument and generates a photoacoustic signal. The ultrasound imaging machine creates an image by combining data from the received photoacoustic signals with ultrasound echo data to show both tissue in a region of interest and the tip of the interventional instrument.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a laser light source configured to produce laser light pulses;
- one or more optical fibers having a first end and a second end, the first end configured to be optically coupled to the laser light source, the second end configured to be attached to an interventional instrument and to produce photoacoustic signals in response to receiving the laser light pulses;
- a transducer configured to transmit ultrasound signals toward a region in a subject and to receive:
- ultrasound echoes from the subject based on the ultrasound signals;
- and
- the photoacoustic signals;
- and
- an ultrasound machine configured to:
- generate, based on the ultrasound echoes and the photoacoustic signals, an image that depicts an anatomical feature in the region and a representation of the interventional instrument;
- and
- synchronize the laser light source with the transducer including to instruct the transducer to generate the ultrasound signals with a reduced energy when the laser light source produces the light pulses.
An ultrasound machine, comprising:
- a transducer configured to transmit ultrasound signals toward a region in a subject and to receive ultrasound echoes from the subject based on the ultrasound signals;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- combine echo data based on the ultrasound echoes and photoacoustic data based on photoacoustic signals produced responsive to laser light pulses from a laser light source to create an image that shows an anatomical feature in the region and at least a portion of an interventional instrument;
- generate trigger signals to instruct the laser light source to generate the laser light pulses;
- and
- generate control signals to instruct the transducer to reduce an energy of the ultrasound signals transmitted by the transducer to a minimal energy to synchronize the laser light pulses with the ultrasound signals having the minimal energy transmitted by the transducer.
A method of operating an ultrasound machine, the method comprising:
- transmitting, with a transducer of the ultrasound machine, ultrasound signals toward a region of a subject;
- acquiring ultrasound echo data based on ultrasound echoes that are received by the transducer in response to the ultrasound signals transmitted;
- generating trigger signals to control a laser light source to produce laser light pulses, wherein the laser light pulses are transmitted from a first end of one or more optical fibers that is coupled to the laser light source to a second end of the one or more optical fibers that is coupled to an interventional instrument to produce photoacoustic signals in response to the laser light pulses;
- generating control signals to synchronize the transducer and the laser light source, the control signals indicating to reduce an energy of the ultrasound signals transmitted by the transducer to a minimal energy when the laser light source produces the laser light pulses;
- acquiring photoacoustic data from the photoacoustic signals;
- and
- combining the ultrasound echo data and the photoacoustic data to produce an image that shows an anatomical feature in the region and at least a portion of the interventional instrument.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.