Method and system for determining a shape of a lumen in an anatomical structure

Abstract

A medical system provides navigation assistance to a surgeon so that the surgeon may navigate a flexible medical device through linked passages of an anatomical structure to a target in or adjacent to the anatomical structure. As the medical device moves through the linked passages, images are captured by an image capturing element at its distal end and pose and shape information for the medical device are received from sensors disposed in the medical device. A 4-D computer model of the anatomical structure is registered to the medical device using one or both of 4-D shape registration and virtual camera registration so that the captured image and a virtual image generated from the perspective of a virtual camera are registered to each other and displayed while providing an indication of a navigational path to the target.

1 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . A method for determining a shape of a lumen in an anatomical structure, the method comprising:
 positioning a medical device in the lumen, wherein the medical device has a flexible body that conforms to the shape of the lumen when the flexible body is positioned in the lumen, and wherein the medical device has a plurality of sensors disposed along a length of the flexible body;   concurrently reading information from the plurality of sensors; and   using a processor to computationally determine the shape of the lumen by using the information concurrently read from the plurality of sensors.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the medical device has a fiber optic cable extending along the length of the flexible body, and wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a plurality of strain sensors configured on the fiber optic cable. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the plurality of strain sensors employ Rayleigh scattering. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the plurality of strain sensors comprise a plurality of Fiber Bragg Gratings. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the medical device has a steerable tip which is electromechanically movable for positioning the medical device in the lumen. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the anatomical structure is part of one of the heart, brain, digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system, and urinary system. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the anatomical structure is a lung and the lumen is an air passageway in the lung. 
     
     
         44 . A medical system comprising:
 a medical device, wherein the medical device has a flexible body that conforms to a shape of a lumen of an anatomical structure when the flexible body is positioned in the lumen, and wherein the medical device has a plurality of sensors disposed along a length of the flexible body; and   a processor programmed to receive information concurrently read from the plurality of sensors of the medical device, and to computationally determine the shape of the lumen by using the received information.   
     
     
         45 . The medical system of  claim 44 , wherein the medical device has a fiber optic cable extending along the length of the flexible body, and wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a plurality of strain sensors configured on the fiber optic cable. 
     
     
         46 . The medical system of  claim 45 , wherein the plurality of strain sensors employ Rayleigh scattering. 
     
     
         47 . The medical system of  claim 45 , wherein the plurality of strain sensors comprise a plurality of Fiber Bragg Gratings. 
     
     
         48 . The medical system of  claim 44 , further comprising:
 an input device;   a controller; and   an electromechanical interface having an actuator whose actuation is controlled by the controller in response to input received from the input device so that the medical device is electromechanically positionable in the lumen.   
     
     
         49 . The medical system of  claim 44 , wherein the anatomical structure is part of one of the heart, brain, digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory system, and urinary system. 
     
     
         50 . The medical system of  claim 49 , wherein the anatomical structure is a lung and the lumen is an air passageway in the lung.