Systems and methods for 3d stereoscopic angiovision, angionavigation and angiotherapeutics

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for catheterization through angionavigation, cardionavigation, or brain navigation to diagnose or treat diseased areas through direct imaging using tracking, such as radiofrequency, infrared, or ultrasound tracking, of the catheter through the patient's vascular anatomy. A steerable catheter with six degrees of freedom having at least a camera and fiber optic bundle, and one or more active or passive electromagnetic tracking sensors located on the catheter is guided through the vascular system under direct imaging. The direct imaging can be assisted with at least one of MRA imaging, CT angiography imaging, or 3DRA imaging as the roadmap acquired prior to or during 3D stereoangiovision. The system comprises RF transceivers to provide positioning information from the sensors, a processor executing navigation software to fuse the tracking information from the tracking sensors with the imaging roadmap, and a display to display the location of the catheter on the roadmap.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method to navigate within body structures, comprising:
 creating a digital image of a patient and at least one marker placed external to the patient, the digital image including image information obtained from an image of the at least one marker and from an image of a vascular system of the patient that are acquired by an imaging system that does not use ionizing radiation or iodinated agents;   generating from the digital image a  3 D rendering of the vascular system and a catheter in stereotactic space; and   fusing a position associated with the catheter onto the 3D rendering.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the digital image further includes image information from images of the at least one marker captured by two cameras that are positioned at different positions with respect to the patient, the method further comprising generating stereotactic coordinates in a stereotactic coordinate system based at least in part on locations of the at least one marker detected by the imaging system and the two cameras. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the at least one marker comprises at least one infrared marker and each of the two cameras comprises an infrared camera. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the locations of the at least one marker detected by the imaging system and the two cameras provide registration information for the stereotactic coordinate system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the 3D rendering includes indications of a target and of an entry point of the catheter, the catheter including at least one electromagnetic sensor associated with an electromagnetic coordinate system. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the position is obtained from a tracking system configured to track the at least one electromagnetic sensor, wherein the method further comprises co-registering the electromagnetic and the stereotactic coordinate systems. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the catheter further includes a fiber optic bundle and a first camera different from the two cameras that is in communication with the fiber optic bundle. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising generating a roadmap from the entry point to the target on the 3D rendering. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the 3D rendering includes the roadmap and indications for positions of the catheter, the entry point, and the target. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the catheter provides an angioscopic view of the target. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6  wherein co-registering the electromagnetic and the stereotactic coordinate systems fuses positional information of the at least one electromagnetic sensor with the 3D rendering. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the catheter further comprises a camera operationally connected to a fiber optic bundle to provide an angioscopic view of tissue during the navigation and therapeutic interventions. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the position associated with the catheter comprises longitudinal, lateral, anterior-posterior, pitch, roll, and yaw locations of the catheter. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising providing the 3D rendering for use in image guided cytotoxic drug delivery or radioactive seed implants into tumors. 
     
     
         15 . An ionizing radiation-free vascular navigation system comprising:
 a first preoperative imaging system configured to capture a digital image of a vascular system of a patient utilizing non-ionizing radiation and non-iodinated agents;   a computer image system in communication with the first preoperative imaging system to generate, based on image information from the first preoperative imaging system, a 3D rendering in stereotactic space of the vascular system; and   a tracking system in communication with the computer image system and configured to provide location information of at least one electromagnetic sensor associated with a catheter, the tracking system providing the location information using an electromagnetic coordinate system, the computer image system further configured to register the electromagnetic coordinate system with the 3D rendering of the vascular system to fuse the location information with the 3D rendering.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  further comprising a second preoperative imaging system comprising at least two cameras, each camera configured to capture an image of at least one external stereotactic fiduciary marker from a different position with respect to the patient. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein images captured by the first or second preoperative imaging system of the at least one external stereotactic fiduciary marker are configured to provide registration locations for the stereotactic coordinate system. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the computer image system is further in communication with the second preoperative imaging system and further configured to create stereotactic coordinates of the at least one external stereotactic fiduciary marker using the digital image, wherein the 3D rendering marks a point of entry and a target using a stereotactic coordinate system. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the 3D rendering is used to navigate the catheter from the point of entry to the target. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the first preoperative imaging system is further configured to capture the digital image including at least one external stereotactic fiduciary marker utilizing the non-ionizing radiation and the non-iodinated agents.