Anatomical Visualization With Electrically Conductive Balloon Catheter
AssigneeSanovas Intellectual Property, LLC
InventorsErhan H. Gunday, Lawrence J. Gerrans, Lon Chu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A balloon catheter for providing a 3-dimensional rendering of the interior of a cavity, the catheter system including a controller, a catheter connected to the controller and a balloon positioned on the catheter. The balloon includes a mesh having members extending longitudinally and circumferentially about the balloon where each member of the mesh has an electrical characteristic that changes as the member is deformed. The controller uses a measurement of the variable electrical characteristic to generate a three-dimensional rendering of an interior surface of the cavity, which can be rotating to different viewing angles.
Claims47
An imaging system for providing a 3-dimensional image of the interior of a cavity comprising:
- a balloon catheter;
- a mesh affixed to the balloon catheter, said mesh having members extending longitudinally and circumferentially about said balloon catheter;
- a controller coupled to the balloon catheter for controlling the inflation of said balloon catheter;
- wherein each member of said mesh having at least one electrical characteristic that changes as the member is deformed such that, when the member comprises a length (L) a measured electrical characteristic will be different than when the member comprise a length (L1) where L1 is greater than L;
- wherein the controller determines the at least one electrical characteristic from each member and utilizes the measured electrical characteristics to generate a three-dimensional rendering of an interior surface of the cavity.
A method for providing a 3-dimensional image of the interior of a cavity comprising the steps of:
- coupling a controller to a balloon catheter, the balloon catheter having a mesh having members extending longitudinally and circumferentially about the balloon catheter;
- controlling the inflation of the balloon catheter with the controller;
- measuring a change of an electrical characteristic of a member as the member is deformed such that, when the member comprises a length (L) a measured electrical characteristic will be different than when the member comprise a length (L1) where L1 is greater than L;
- determining the at least one electrical characteristic from each member and using the measured electrical characteristics to generate a three-dimensional rendering of an interior surface of the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.