Steerable shape sensing biopsy needle and catheter

US8649847B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation · US

Inventors

• Yong-Lae Park · Cambridge, US
• Richard J. Black · Palo Alto, US
• Behzad Moslehi · Los Altos, US
• Mark R. Cutkosky · Palo Alto, US
• Santhi Elayaperumal · Stanford, US
• Bruce L. Daniel · Palo Alto, US
• Alan Yeung · Hillsborough, US
• Vahid Sotoudeh · Los Altos, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 18, 2009
• Grant date: Feb 11, 2014
• Expiry date: Feb 6, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61M2205/3306
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A biopsy needle has a central axis and includes one or more sensing regions, each sensing region formed by a plurality of sensing optical fibers located over a particular extent of said central axis and inside the outer shell of the needle. The sensing optical fibers are coupled to a wavelength interrogator. A steerable catheter has a central axis and outer shell, the outer shell coupled to a plurality of optical fibers in sensing regions and actuation regions, the sensing regions formed over particular extents of the central axis by bonding gratings to the inner surface of the outer shell, and the actuation regions formed by coupling optical energy into shape memory alloys bonded to the outer shell.