Apparatus for guiding medical instruments during ultrasonographic imaging

A method employing an ultrasonographic system for facilitating the guidance and placement of at least one medical instrument in a target tissue, comprising the steps of:

• i) positioning a reference means relative to a ultrasonographic transducer in a region proximal a site on a patient which facilitates access to the target tissue;
• ii) referencing the reference means to the ultrasonographic system to determine the spatial relationship therebetween;
• iii) obtaining an ultrasonographic image of the target tissue;
• iv) via a processing means, generating a positioning image by superimposing an image of the reference means over the ultrasonographic image;
• v) from the positioning image, selecting a target location within the target tissue where the at least one medical instrument is to be placed;
• and
• vi) from the positioning image, determining an insertion path to the target location and determining placement coordinates on the reference means.

A reference means for facilitating the placement of at least one medical instrument into a target tissue, the reference means comprising:

• a reference means including a plurality of apertures arranged in a predefined manner and sized to permit a medical instrument to pass therethrough, wherein each aperture is provided with an internal adjustment means which permits placement of the medical instrument as well as simultaneously permitting movement of the medical instrument in a perpendicular plane to a face plane of the reference means;
• mounting means for mounting the guidance plate in a predetermined relationship to an ultrasonographic transducer;
• and
• interface means to link the guidance plate with a processing means operable to determining the spatial relationship between an ultrasonographic image of the target tissue generated by the ultrasonographic transducer and the reference means.