Application of image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography in assisting three dimensional intra-body navigation of diagnostic and therapeutic devices

A non-invasive bi-modal ultrasound-based methodology system of identifying and positioning targets in three-dimensional space comprising:

• a. attaching a micron-size metallic tip which functions as a target or marker to a thin polymeric wire that is inserted through a guided catheter into a blood vessel within a body;
• b. placing one or more disposable stickers on the body around the area of;
• area of interest;
• c. positioning a receiving sensor within each disposable sticker which is placed on the skin around the area of interest on the body and removably adhered to the skin around the area of interest on the body, each sensor respectively is separated from skin by a thin and acoustically transparent film which is firmly coupled to skin on the body by a layer of biocompatible adhesive surrounding the thin film on the sticker;
• d. utilizing an imaging scanner with B-mode capability to scan the area of interest in the body creating a gray-scale B-mode image of the area of interest in the body where the polymeric wire is located within the blood vessel within the body;
• e. the transmitted ultrasound frequency being varied from 1 MHz to 14 MHz covering a range of depths;
• f. once an image of the area of interest is obtained, the area of interest in the body is marked and the system is turned into a simultaneously B-mode imaging and stimulation mode;
• g. the area of interest in the body is then stimulated by a swept band of ultrasound frequencies generated by specific sequences of acoustic energy schemes delivered by the same ultrasound imaging scanner as used in step “d”;
• h. the metallic tip of the wire traveling in the blood vessel within the body is stimulated by said acoustic energy resulting in emanating a band of characteristic response frequencies proportional to its material and size;
• i. monitoring the response of the tip of the wire in real time so that a spectrum including a peak resonant frequency is recorded and spectrally analyzed;
• j. having a detected peak resonant frequency correlated with a predetermined database of peak resonant frequencies to determine presence of the metallic tip of the wire, which may be invisible on the B-mode image;
• k. if the detected response frequency or band of frequencies correlate with peak value or values in a predefined frequency signature map, then exact three-dimensional coordinates of the area from where the response frequency or band of frequencies have been detected is marked on the B-mode image and colored according to particular predetermined color-coded scheme;
• and
• l. utilizing a certain specialized triangulation technique, the exact three dimensional position of the metallic tip of the wire in the body is determined at every point of time based on the signals received by the receiving sensors and analyzed respectively, with the exact three dimensional position of the metallic tip of the wire in the area of interest in the body continuously displayed on a B-mode image and recorded for future reference.

A non-invasive bi-modal ultrasound-based methodology of identifying and positioning targets in three-dimensional space comprising:

• a. attaching a micron-size metallic tip which functions as a known target to a thin polymeric wire that is inserted through a guided catheter into a blood vessel within a body;
• b. positioning a multiplicity of acoustic receiving sensors on a sensor retaining means so that the acoustic receiving sensors are spaced apart from each other;
• c. positioning the sensor retaining means on and around an area of interest on the body so that the multiplicity of acoustic receiving sensors are positioned on the body;
• d. utilizing a bi-modal image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography functional imaging system which has an Imaging Mode and a Stimulation Mode;
• e. utilizing the Imaging Mode of the image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography with a modified ultrasound imaging scanner to scan different segments of the area of the interest and impact the area of interest with ultrasound imaging frequencies in a range of 1 megahertz to 14 megahertz to image segments of the body at given times to thereby create an ultrasound B-mode gray scale image wherein ultrasound frequencies are transmitted toward specific segments of the body and subsequently reflected from each specific segment of the body toward the scanner;
• f. utilizing the Stimulation Mode of the image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography with said modified ultrasound imaging scanner and stimulating selected segments of the body with a non-invasive chirp scheme delivered by the modified ultrasound imaging scanner utilizing two signal generators so that a first signal generator provides chirps of different frequency ranges while a second signal generator provides a fixed frequency so that due to any difference in any applied frequencies, certain acoustic radiation forces are generated proportional to a natural frequency of the targeted metallic tip of a polymeric wire that stimulates and vibrates the targeted metallic tip;
• g. a single chirp is broken down into different segments so that a frequency scan occurs in a particular and controlled sequence called “one presentation” so that the chirps can scan any desired frequency spans and search for any resonance of the targeted metallic tip in order to maximize the time for which each frequency span is introduced to thereby increase a signal-to-noise ratio;
• h. a stimulation signal is swept over a band of Hertz or kilohertz range frequencies and the frequencies are modulated on a megahertz ultrasound carrier frequency so that the metallic tip of a polymeric wire produces acoustic signals specific to their mass density and that are received by the acoustic receiving sensors and read out by an acoustic readout means to obtain response frequencies;
• and
• i. real-time comparing and correlating any obtained response frequencies with a predetermined map of peak frequencies corresponding to the same metallic tip of a polymeric wire so that when a detected frequency correlates with a predetermined frequency in a frequency signature map, the targeted site ef with the targeted metallic tip on the B-mode image is color-coded utilizing a predetermined color scheme and exact coordinates of a site within the body is determined.

A non-invasive bi modal ultrasound-based methodology of identifying and positioning targets in three-dimensional space comprising:

• a. attaching a micron-size metallic tip which functions as a known target to a thin polymeric wire that is inserted through a guided catheter into a blood vessel within a body;
• b. positioning a multiplicity of acoustic receiving sensors, each firmly housed on a sensor retaining means so that the acoustic receiving sensors are spaced apart from each other;
• c. positioning the sensor retaining means on and around an area of interest on the body;
• d. utilizing a bi-modal image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography functional imaging system which has an Imaging Mode and a Stimulation Mode;
• e. utilizing the Imaging Mode of the image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography with a modified ultrasound imaging scanner to scan different segments of the area of interest on the human body and impact the body with ultrasound imaging frequencies in a range of 1 megahertz to 14 megahertz to image segments of the body at given times to thereby create an ultrasound B-mode gray scale image wherein ultrasound frequencies are transmitted toward specific segments of the body and subsequently reflected from each specific segment of body toward the scanner;
• f. utilizing the Stimulation Mode of the image-based dynamic ultrasound spectrography with said modified ultrasound imaging scanner and stimulating selected segments of the body with a non-invasive burst sweep form so that data is acquired over time wherein a fixed megahertz burst frequency is applied to the targeted polymeric wire with a micron-size metallic tip and another different megahertz frequency is incremented to obtain a first-hand estimate of the response frequency;
• g. a stimulation signal is swept over a band of Hertz or kilohertz range frequencies and the frequencies are modulated on a megahertz ultrasound carrier frequency so that targeted metallic tip produces and emits acoustic signal or signals specific to its material and size and that any acoustic signal or signals are received by the acoustic receiving sensors and read out by an acoustic readout means to obtain and display the received response frequencies;
• and
• h. real-time and continuous comparing and correlating any obtained response frequency or frequencies with a predetermined map of peak resonant frequencies corresponding to similar metallic tip so that when a detected frequency correlates with a predetermined frequency in a frequency signature map, a targeted site on the B-mode image is color-coded utilizing a predetermined color scheme and exact coordinates of the site containing the metallic tip of a thin polymeric wire within the body is determined.

A non-invasive bi-modal ultrasound-based methodology of identifying and positioning targets in three-dimensional space comprising:

• a. attaching a micron-size metallic tip which functions as a known target to a thin polymeric wire that is inserted through a guided catheter into a blood vessel within a body;
• b. positioning a multiplicity of acoustic receiving sensors each on a sensor retaining means so that the acoustic receiving sensors are spaced apart from each other;
• c. positioning the sensor retaining means on and around an area of interest on the body;
• d. utilizing an ultrasound imaging scanner with B-mode capability to scan the area of interest creating a gray-scale B-mode image of the area of interest with potential location of the thin polymeric wire;
• e. a transmitted ultrasound imaging frequency being varied from 1 MHz to 14 MHz covering a range of depths within the body;
• f. once an image of the area of interest is obtained, the scanner is maintained stationary relative to the body surface, the area of interest on the body is marked and interrogated;
• g. the area of interest in the body is then stimulated by a swept band of modulated frequencies generated by specific sequences of acoustic energy schemes delivered by the same ultrasound imaging scanner as in step “d”;
• h. the metallic tip of the thin polymeric wire is then stimulated by sequential frequency schemes resulting in emanating a characteristic response frequency proportional to its material and size;
• i. real-time and continuous monitoring of any response so that a spectrum including a peak resonant frequency is recorded and spectrally analyzed;
• and
• j. having any detected peak response frequency correlated with a predetermined database of predefined peak resonant frequencies to determine presence of the metallic tip of the micron-size polymeric wire in the blood vessel within the body.