Method and apparatus for magnetically controlling catheters in body lumens and cavities
US6522909B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 6, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 6, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2017/1205
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of navigating a magnet-tipped distal end of an elongate medical device through the body includes providing an image display of the part of the body through which the medical device is being navigated and using the display to input the desired path of the medical device by identifying points on the desired path on the display. The magnetic field needed to orient the end of the medical device in the direction of the desired path as indicated on the display is then determined. In one embodiment where only points on the desired path are identified, the field direction is the direction indicated by the points on the desired path. In a second embodiment, where points on the current path and the desired path are identified, the desired angle of deflection is determined, and the direction of the magnetic field is set to lead this desired angle of deflection by 90° to over torque the end of the catheter, and the intensity of the field is determined from a table of experimentally determined field intensities for given angles of deflection.The apparatus for navigating a magnet-tipped medical device through the body in accordance with the invention includes a magnet system for app…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.