Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B1/00—Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes; Illuminating arrangements therefor
  • A61B1/005—Flexible endoscopes
  • A61B1/009—Flexible endoscopes with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
  • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
  • G01B11/24—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring contours or curvatures
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B34/00—Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery
  • A61B34/20—Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
  • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
  • G01B11/16—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge
  • G01B11/18—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge using photoelastic elements
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B34/00—Computer-aided surgery; Manipulators or robots specially adapted for use in surgery
  • A61B34/20—Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
  • A61B2034/2046—Tracking techniques
  • A61B2034/2061—Tracking techniques using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to optical tracking of elongated devices, particularly medical devices (e.g., endoscopes, catheters and guidewires).
• the present invention specifically relates a three-dimensional ("3D") shape reconstruction of an optical fiber embedded within an elongated device.
• the art of shape reconstruction of a multi-core fiber generally involves three (3) steps.
• the first step involves a multi-core fiber being interrogated with optical frequency domain reflectometry, which results in the measurement of both an amplitude and a phase of a reflection for each core as a function of wavelength.
• the reflection may be invoked by embedded periodical structures (e.g., fiber Bragg gratings) or by non-periodic, random variations in the refractive index (e.g., Rayleigh scattering).
• the second step involves a calculation of strain in each core at multiple positions along the fiber from the reflection spectra.
• the third step involves a 3D shape reconstruction of the optical fiber by means of combining the various strain data.
• the strain measurements may be converted to rotation angles and the associated rotation matrices may be used to update a tangent vector, a normal vector and a binormal vector (i.e. columns of a Jacobian matrix).
• a tangent vector i.e. columns of a Jacobian matrix.
• a binormal vector i.e. columns of a Jacobian matrix
• the present invention overcomes the inaccuracies in known methods for calculating local curvature and torsion from local values of strain in a multi-core fiber embedded in an elongated device, and for subsequently using this information to evaluate the 3D shape of the elongated device.
• One form of the present invention is an optical shape sensing system employing an elongated device, an optical fiber embedded within the elongated device with the optical fiber including one or more cores, an optical interrogation console and a 3D shape reconstructor.
• the optical interrogation console generates reflection spectrum data indicative of a measurement of both an amplitude and a phase of a reflection for each core of the optical fiber as a function of wavelength and the 3D shape reconstructor reconstructs a 3D shape of the optical fiber.
• the 3D shape reconstructor executes a generation of local strain data for a plurality of positions along the optical fiber responsive to the reflection spectrum data, a generation of local curvature and torsion angle data as a function of each local strain along the fiber, and a reconstruction of the 3D shape of the optical fiber as a function of each local curvature and torsion angle along the optical fiber.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an optical shape sensing system in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart representative of an exemplary embodiment of an optical shape sensing method in accordance with the present invention.
• FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate views of a 3D shape reconstruction of an optical fiber in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a comparison of actual data and shape reconstruction data in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 6 illustrates deviation graphs in accordance with the present invention.
• an optical shape sensing system of the present invention employs an optical fiber 10 embedded within an elongated device 20.
• optical fiber 10 may be any type of optical fiber suitable for optically tracking elongated device 20.
• optical fiber 10 include, but are not limited to, a flexible optically transparent glass or plastic fiber incorporating an array of fiber Bragg gratings integrated along a length of the fiber as known in the art, and a flexible optically transparent glass or plastic fiber having naturally variations in its optic refractive index occurring along a length of the fiber as known in the art (e.g., a Rayleigh scattering based optical fiber).
• Optical fiber 10 may be a single core fiber or preferably, a multi-core fiber.
• elongated device 20 may be any type of device suitable for embedding an optical fiber 10 therein for purposes of optically tracking elongated device 20.
• elongated device 20 include, but are not limited to, an endoscope, a catheter and a guidewire.
• the system further employs an optical interrogation console
• optical interrogation console 30 may be any device or system structurally configured for transmitting light to optical fiber 10 and receiving reflected light from optical fiber 10.
• optical interrogation console 30 employs an optical Fourier domain refiectometer and other appropriate electronics/devices as known in the art.
• 3D shape reconstructor 40 is broadly defined herein as any device or system structurally configured for translating measured reflection spectra data of optical fiber 10 into a 3D shape of optical fiber 10 and elongated device 20.
• a stage S51 of flowchart 50 encompasses optical interrogation console 30 generating unstrained reflection spectrum data ("URSD") 31 indicative of a measurement of both an amplitude and a phase of a reflection for each core of optical fiber 10 as a function of wavelength when optical fiber 10 is in a reference shape.
• optical interrogation console 30 generating strained reflection spectrum data (“SRSD”) 32 indicative of a measurement of both an amplitude and a phase of a reflection for each core of optical fiber 10 as a function of wavelength when optical fiber 10 is in a non-reference shape.
• URSD unstrained reflection spectrum data
• SRSD strained reflection spectrum data
• the term “reference shape” is broadly defined herein as a designated shape of optical fiber 10 whereby optical fiber 10 may or may not be experiencing any degree of strain along various positions of optical fiber 10, but for shape reconstruction purposes is assumed to be experiencing a baseline strain relative to any other shape of optical fiber 10.
• the term “non-reference shape” is broadly defined herein as any shape of optical fiber 10 other than the reference shape.
• optical interrogation console 30 implements an optical frequency domain refiectometry as known in the art for generating reflection spectrum data 31 and 32.
• Optical interrogation console 30 communicates reflection spectrum data 31 and 32 to 3D shape reconstructor 40, which processes reflection spectrum data 3 land 32 for generating local strain data as a function of position along optical fiber 30 during a stage S52 of flowchart 50.
• 3D shape reconstructor 40 generates the local strain ⁇ by a simple Fourier transform of both reflection spectrum data 31 and 32. Specifically, the reflection spectrum is known from data 31 and 32. As such, a taper function ⁇ ⁇ is calculated for whereby a spatial dependence of a phase of the taper function ⁇ 1 ⁇ is a measure for the local strain ⁇ in accordance with the following equations [l]-[3]: 2 ⁇ ⁇
• ⁇ ( 5 )_ 6 ⁇ (5) ⁇ ⁇ ( ⁇ ) ⁇ ⁇ 2 ⁇ 3 ⁇ [2] ⁇ 2 ⁇
• ⁇ is the detuning (i.e., the difference of the wave vector from the central resonance peak)
• ⁇ is the wavelength of the light
• n is the effective refractive index of the mode
• ⁇ is the periodicity of the Bragg grating
• quantity p is a calibration constant (e.g., 0.78 for a single mode fiber based on quartz)
• c(?>) is the complex valued Fresnel reflection coefficient.
• Both reflection spectrum data 31 and 32 are inverse Fourier transformed in
• Equation [2] whereby a magnitude ⁇ of the taper function is unaltered in view of data 31 and 32 being generated from the same optical fiber 10.
• a phase ⁇ of the taper function does change between two transforms whereby a difference of the two (2) phase curves is calculated and the slope of this phase difference as a function of position on the fiber is evaluated. Equation [3] is used thereafter to generate the local strain £ as a function of position on the fiber.
• stage S52 the inverse Fourier transforms of equation [2] of reflection spectrum data 31 and 32 are also calculated. However, a part of the taper function at a particular distance s is taken, and again back Fourier transformed. In this way, only the reflection spectrum at that distance s is obtained.
• This local reflection spectrum is compared with the local reflection spectrum of the unstrained fiber by calculating their cross correlation. The cross correlation exhibits a peak, its position is the detuning shift of the two local spectra. The relative wavelength shift is directly proportional to the local strain £ with proportionality constant p.
• stage S52 the Fourier transform(s) of the reflection spectrum data 31 and 32 may be taken at equidistant detuning steps whereby the local strains £ are known at equidistant steps 5s along length of optical fiber 10.
• a stage S53 of flowchart 50 encompasses 3D shape reconstructor 40 generating a local curvature and integral of torsion as function of fiber position.
• stage S53 for a three (3) cores 11-13 of optical fiber 10 as shown in FIG. 3 the following equations [4]-[6] are executed for local curvature ⁇ and torsion angle ⁇ : ⁇ 12 ⁇ sin( 13 ) + ⁇ 13 ⁇ sin( 12 ) [4] tan(a)
• torsion is a rotation around the tangent whereby torsion causes the curve to change its plane of curvature. This means that torsion changes the direction of the axis B of the rotation associated with curvature. In other words torsion gives rise to a change in the angle a, hence the name torsion angle.
• 3D shape reconstructor 40 Upon completion of stage S53, 3D shape reconstructor 40 has generated equidistant values for local curvature ⁇ and torsion angle ⁇ .
• a stage S54 of flowchart 50 comprises 3D shape reconstructor
• the absolute position r(x,y,z) in local space and the tangent should be given as boundary conditions.
• the next position bs further down optical fiber 10 is calculated using the curvature and torsion angle of the previous point.
• curvature is a rotation around the binomial vector B is applied to perform this step.
• FIG. 4 shows a position from which the next position r l+ ⁇ has to be calculated.
• the coordinate system (xi',yi' ,Zi') and ( ⁇ , ⁇ , ⁇ ) are simply related by a Jacobian matrix Ai.
• This matrix is a unitary matrix whereby the first Jacobian matrix at the begin point is given by the boundary conditions. So, the chord for the next point may be calculated with the Jacobian matrix of the previous point as long as this matrix is updated appropriately.
• stages S51-S54 are continually repeated during the course of optically tracking elongated device 20.
• 3D shape reconstructor may provide 3D shape data ("3DSD") 41 to any appropriate tracking device and/or 3D shape display (“3DSD”) 42 to display the shape reconstruction of optical fiber 10 and elongated device 20.
• Flowchart 50 has been tested for various cases.
• an optical fiber with a helical form having a length of one (1) meter was tested based 6,500 number of data points along the fiber.
• the helix had a radius of curvature of ten (10) cm and a pitch of 6.3 cm, meaning that the torsion is 1 m "1 .
• the fiber contained three cores separated from the center by fifty (50) microns. Each of the cores contained thirty-eigth (38) fiber
• Bragg gratings with a length of approximately twenty- five (25) mm, and separated by gaps of about one (1) mm in size.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a graph 60 showing the original form of the helix and the reconstructed data with significant overlap in view of the fact that the original data and the reconstructed data cannot be distinguished from one another on the scale of this graph 60.
• FIG. 6 illustrates a graph 61 showing deviations between the original data and the
• the small deviations oscillate with the pitch of the helix and the total error in the reconstruction is of the order of ten (10) microns over one (1) meter of fiber length. For most applications, the accuracy is more than sufficient.
• FIGS. 1-6 those having ordinary skill in the art will have a further appreciation how to implement the 3D shape reconstruction technique for an optical fiber in accordance with the present invention for numerous applications, particularly for the optical tracking of elongated medical devices (e.g., endoscopes, catheters and guidewires).
• elongated medical devices e.g., endoscopes, catheters and guidewires.
• medical applications include, but are not limited to, EP ablation procedures, and interventions in coronary arteries (e.g.,. stent placement) in-situ fenestration while performing stent graft placement for aortic abdominal aneurysms and positioning of ultrasound probes.

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• 2012
  • 2012-01-23 WO PCT/IB2012/050295 patent/WO2012101562A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-01-23 EP EP12706321.2A patent/EP2668467A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-01-23 JP JP2013550979A patent/JP6270483B2/ja active Active
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  • 2012-01-23 CN CN201280006639.XA patent/CN103339467B/zh active Active

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