Tissue imaging and image guidance in luminal anatomic structures and body cavities

A navigational system comprising:

• a guiding probe having an axis and including proximal and distal ends;
• a first means for delivery of energy between the proximal and distal ends inside the probe;
• a second means for coupling of energy between the first means and an ambient medium around the probe within at least one of a first angle range and a second angle range, the second means juxtaposed with the first means at the distal end;
• and
• a third means adapted to change at least one of a position and an orientation of the distal end of the guiding probe in response to a user input applied to the third means;
• wherein the guiding probe is dimensioned to be repositionably insertable into a luminal network having a parent luminal branch and at least one child luminal branch branching from the parent luminal branch at a corresponding branching point, the branching point having associated geometrical identifiers and anatomical identifiers;
• wherein the first angle range is defined between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees with respect to the axis and the second angle range is defined between about −45 degrees and about 45 degrees with respect to the axis;
• and
• an imaging console including a data-processing unit and operably cooperated with the proximal end to receive data representing the energy delivered from the luminal network through the second means to the proximal end, and
• to form, based on such received data, output data that enable a rendering of a three-dimensional (3D) structure of the luminal network in a volume associated with the first angle range, wherein the rendering quantitatively represents positioning of the distal end with respect to a local anatomical structure of the lumen network.

A method for using a system for image-guided navigation along a anatomical luminal network, the system having an imaging probe and a processor in communication with the imaging probe, the method comprising:

• (i) repositioning a distal end of the imaging probe along a parent luminal branch of the anatomical luminal network towards a corresponding branching point at which at least one child luminal branch branches out from the parent luminal branch at a corresponding child angle, the at least one child luminal branch having a corresponding child diameter,
• wherein the imaging probe includes
• a proximal end,
• a means for coupling of energy between the proximal end and a luminal branch within a first angle range and a second angle range, and
• wherein the first angle range is defined between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees with respect to the axis and the second angle range is defined between about −45 degrees and about 45 degrees with respect to the axis;
• such as to produce a volumetric rendering corresponding to a volume defined by the second angular range and representing both at least one child branch and the corresponding branching point, to correlate identifiers associated with the branching point and determined from said volumetric image with identifiers determined from a reference three-dimensional model of the anatomical luminal network, and to assign a corresponding correlation score to the at least one child branch based on such correlation;
• (ii) identifying a target child luminal branch from the at least one child luminal branch, the target child luminal branch corresponding to the highest correlation score among assigned correlation scores;
• and
• (iii) moving the distal end along the target child luminal branch.

A method for using a system for image-guided navigation along an anatomical luminal network, the system having an imaging probe and a processor in communication with the imaging probe, the method comprising:

• (i) repositioning a distal end of the imaging probe along a parent luminal branch of the anatomical luminal network towards a corresponding branching point at which at least one child luminal branch branches out from the parent luminal branch at a corresponding child angle, the at least one child luminal branch having a corresponding child diameter,
• wherein the imaging probe includes
• a proximal end,
• a means for coupling of energy between the proximal end and a luminal branch within a first angle range and a second angle range, and
• wherein the first angle range is defined between about 45 degrees and about 135 degrees with respect to the axis and the second angle range is defined between about −45 degrees and about 45 degrees with respect to the axis;
• such as to produce a volumetric image corresponding to a volume defined by the first angular range, the volumetric image representing both at least one child branch and the corresponding branching point, to correlate identifiers associated with the branching point and determined from said volumetric image with identifiers determined from a reference three-dimensional model of the anatomical luminal network, and to assign a corresponding correlation score to the at least one child branch.
• wherein the volumetric image is defined in registration with a patient's body.
• (ii) identifying a target child luminal branch from the at least one child luminal branch, the target child luminal branch corresponding to the highest correlation score among assigned correlation scores;
• (iii) moving the distal end along the target child luminal branch.