# US 7,412,276 B2 · Brain therapy

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- Number: US 7,412,276 B2
- Document ID: US7412276B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/791,622
- Filed: 2004-03-02
- Published: 2004-08-26
- Granted: 2008-08-12
- Earliest claimed: 1998-11-04
- Assignees: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Inventors: Henry R. Halperin; Ronald D. Berger; Ergin Atalar; Elliot R. McVeigh; Albert C. Lardo; Hugh Calkins; Joao Lima
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7412276B2

## CPC

- G01R 33/285: {Invasive instruments, e.g. catheters or biopsy needles, specially adapted for tracking, guiding or visualization by NMR}
- A61B 5/055: involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
- A61B 5/415: {the glands, e.g. tonsils, adenoids or thymus}
- A61B 5/418: {lymph vessels, ducts or nodes}
- A61B 18/1492: {having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation (A61B18/1477 takes precedence)}
- A61B 90/36: {Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for}
- G01R 33/34084: {implantable coils or coils being geometrically adaptable to the sample, e.g. flexible coils or coils comprising mutually movable parts}
- A61B 2017/00039: {Electric or electromagnetic phenomena other than conductivity, e.g. capacity, inductivity, Hall effect}
- A61B 2017/00053: {Mapping}
- A61B 2090/374: {NMR or MRI}
- G01R 33/4808: {Multimodal MR, e.g. MR combined with positron emission tomography [PET], MR combined with ultrasound or MR combined with computed tomography [CT]}
- G01R 33/5601: {involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent}
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A method of performing brain therapy may include placing a subject in a main magnetic field, introducing into the subject's brain a combination imaging and therapeutic probe, the probe including a magnetic resonance imaging antenna and an electrical energy application element, acquiring a first magnetic resonance image from the antenna of the combination probe, acquiring a second magnetic resonance image from a surface coil, combining the first and second magnetic resonance images to produce a composite image, positioning the combination probe within the brain with guidance from at least one of the images, and delivering electrical energy to the brain from the electrical energy application element of the combination probe thus positioned.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of performing brain therapy, comprising:
placing a subject in a main magnetic field of an MRI scanner during an MRI guided therapy;
introducing into the subject's brain a combination imaging and therapeutic probe, the probe including a magnetic resonance imaging antenna and an electrical energy application element;
acquiring a first magnetic resonance image from the antenna of the combination probe;
acquiring a second magnetic resonance image from a surface coil;
combining the first and second magnetic resonance images to produce a composite image;
positioning the combination probe within the brain with guidance from at least one of the images; and
delivering electrical energy to the brain from the electrical energy application element of the combination probe thus positioned.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the combination probe is positioned with guidance from the composite image.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
acquiring a plurality of first images;
acquiring a plurality of respective second images; and
combining each of the plurality of first images with its respective second image to produce a plurality of respective composite images.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising constructing a three-dimensional rendering of the brain from a plurality of the composite images.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the images are generated in real time or near-real time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the images are generated at a rate of at least 10 frames per second.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the combination probe further comprises at least one diagnostic electrode, and the method further comprises measuring an electrical potential with the diagnostic electrode.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising guiding a mapping procedure with at least one of the images.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising constructing an electrical activation map of the brain with potentials thus measured.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising positioning the combination probe with guidance from the composite image to measure the electrical potential.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising applying an RF ablative current to the subject from the electrical energy application element.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising locating an anatomic target on at least one of the images.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing a magnetic resonance contrast agent to enhance at least one of the images.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic resonance imaging antenna and the electrical energy application element are separate components of the combination probe and reside at a distal end portion of the combination probe so that both the magnetic resonance imaging antenna and electrodes reside inside the brain during a therapy procedure.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
attenuating a frequency induced in the probe by an MRI scanner, wherein the attenuated frequency corresponds to a radio frequency emitted by the MRI scanner.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein the combination imaging and therapy probe further comprises an electrophysiological sensing element, the method further comprising:
acquiring electrical signals of the brain from the electrophysiological sensing element; and
filtering radiofrequency interference induced by the MRI scanner from the acquired electrical signals.

### Claim 17

A system for performing brain therapy, comprising:
a magnetic resonance machine having a surface coil and means for generating a main magnetic field;
a combination imaging and therapeutic probe, the probe including a magnetic resonance imaging antenna and an electrical energy application element;
means for acquiring a first magnetic resonance image from the antenna of the combination probe when the antenna is inside the brain;
means for acquiring a second magnetic resonance image from the surface coil;
means for combining the first and second magnetic resonance images to produce a composite image;
means for positioning the combination probe within the brain with guidance from at least one of the images; and
means for delivering electrical energy to the brain from the electrical energy application clement of the combination probe thus positioned.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the combination probe further comprises a diagnostic electrode configured to acquire electrical signals of local tissue when the brain is in a high magnetic field and exposed to RF signals associated with an MRI scanner, wherein the diagnostic electrode is in communication with an RF filter configured to inhibit MR scanner induced noise in the acquired electrical signals from the diagnostic electrode.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the magnetic resonance imaging antenna and the electrical energy application element are separate components of the combination probe.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, further comprising:
means for acquiring a plurality of first images;
means for acquiring a plurality of respective second images; and
means combining each of the plurality of first images with the respective second image to produce a plurality of respective composite images.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The system of claim 20, further comprising means for generating real-time images during the MRI guided procedure.

### Claim 22

A system for performing brain therapy using an MRI scanner, comprising:
a combination imaging and therapeutic probe, the probe including a magnetic resonance imaging antenna and an electrical energy application element on a distal end portion of the probe, the magnetic resonance imaging antenna configured to receive MR signals from local tissue in vivo when in position inside a subject;
means for acquiring a magnetic resonance image from the antenna of the combination probe;
means for positioning the combination probe within the brain with guidance at least in part from the image;
means for delivering electrical energy to the brain from the electrical energy application element of the combination probe thus positioned; and
an RF attenuation filter circuit in communication with the means for delivering electrical energy for selectively attenuating an RF signal in the probe generated by the MRI scanner.

### Claim 23

An MRI combination imaging and interventional probe in combination with an MRI scanner, the probe including a magnetic resonance imaging antenna configured to receive MR signals in vivo from local tissue when positioned inside the brain and a plurality of electrodes, at least one configured to detect local electrophysiological signals and at least one configured to apply stimulation or ablation energy to local tissue, the probe sized and configured for insertion into a brain of a patient during an in vivo MRI guided therapeutic treatment;
wherein the MRI scanner generates a composite image using signal data from the probe antenna and signal data from an external surface coil, and wherein the MRI scanner is configured to generate the composite image in substantially real time to provide composite images used during an interventional procedure to guide placement of a distal end portion of the MRI probe.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

An MRI probe according to claim 23, further comprising at least one RF filter circuit residing between each electrode and an interface with the MRI scanner, the at least one RF filter configured to suppress an MRI scanner induced signal from being transmitted by the probe while allowing RF ablative current to be delivered to the at least one electrode.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

An MRI probe according to claim 24, wherein the at least one RF filter circuit comprises an inductor and capacitor.