Medical Procedure Localizing Aid
AssigneeTarget Tape Inc.
InventorColin O'NEILL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medical procedure localization aid produces reference marks on both the patient and the medical imaging scan. The aid is defined by a substrate sheet having indicia on one side that is opaque to medical imaging radiation and indicia on a second side that is transferable to a patient. The indicia on the first side is displayed on the scan image and the indicia on the second side is imprinted on the patient. By visualizing the location of a target on the scan image relative to the indicia on the scan image and comparing that with indicia on the patient, a medical professional may reliably locate where a medical procedure should be performed.
Claims20
A method for providing localization guidance to a medical provider to identify a target on a patient, comprising the steps of:
- a) applying a localization aid to a patient's body at a location on the patient's body such that the localization aid overlies a target intended for a medical procedure, said localization aid defining a sheet having a first locational reference pattern on a first side of the sheet, said first locational pattern comprising material opaque to imaging radiation;
- b) with the localization aid applied to the patient, performing a medical imaging scan of said patient and generating a medical image from the scan, said scan image including an image of said first locational reference pattern;
- c) using the first locational pattern on the scan image to identify on the patient the location of the target;
- and
- d) performing the medical procedure on the target in the patient.
A method for providing localization guidance to a medical provider to identify a target on a patient, comprising the steps of:
- a) applying a localization aid to a patient's body at a location on the patient's body such that the localization aid overlies a target intended for a medical procedure, said localization aid defining a sheet having a first locational reference pattern on a first side of the sheet and a second locational reference pattern on the second side of the sheet, said first locational pattern comprising material opaque to imaging radiation and said second locational pattern comprising material transferable to the patient, and wherein the first and second locational reference patterns are aligned;
- b) with the localization aid applied to the patient, performing a medical imaging scan of said patient and generating a medical image from the scan, said scan image including an image of said first locational reference pattern;
- c) transferring the second locational pattern from the second side of the localization aid onto the patient and removing the localization aid from the patient;
- and
- d) comparing the image of the first locational pattern on the medical image to the second locational pattern on the patient to locate the target on the patient.
A medical procedure localization aid, comprising:
- a flexible substrate having a first surface and an opposed second surface;
- medical image reference indicia on the first surface comprising material opaque to medical imaging, said medical image reference indicia arranged in a first reference pattern;
- patient marking indicia on the second surface comprising material transferable from said flexible substrate to a patient's skin when said patient marking indicia is in direct contact with the patient's skin, said patient marking indicia arranged in a second reference pattern, wherein the second reference pattern is aligned with the first reference pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.