US20110060298A1 - Tissue imaging and extraction systems - Google Patents
Tissue imaging and extraction systems Download PDFInfo
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- US20110060298A1 US20110060298A1 US12/947,246 US94724610A US2011060298A1 US 20110060298 A1 US20110060298 A1 US 20110060298A1 US 94724610 A US94724610 A US 94724610A US 2011060298 A1 US2011060298 A1 US 2011060298A1
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- 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
-
- 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
- A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
- A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
- A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
-
- 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
- A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
- A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
- A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
- A61B1/00082—Balloons
-
- 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
- A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
- A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
- A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
- A61B1/00085—Baskets
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- 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
- A61B1/00064—Constructional details of the endoscope body
- A61B1/00071—Insertion part of the endoscope body
- A61B1/0008—Insertion part of the endoscope body characterised by distal tip features
- A61B1/00089—Hoods
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- 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
- A61B1/012—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 characterised by internal passages or accessories therefor
- A61B1/015—Control of fluid supply or evacuation
-
- 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
- A61B1/012—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 characterised by internal passages or accessories therefor
- A61B1/018—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 characterised by internal passages or accessories therefor for receiving instruments
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- 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
- A61B1/04—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 combined with photographic or television appliances
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/02—Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
- A61B5/02007—Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
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- A61B5/68—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
- A61B5/6846—Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive
- A61B5/6879—Means for maintaining contact with the body
- A61B5/6882—Anchoring means
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B18/00—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body
- A61B18/02—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques
- A61B2018/0212—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
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- A61B5/0002—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
- A61B5/0031—Implanted circuitry
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
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- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/12—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to medical devices used for visualizing and/or closing openings or defects within a body. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for visualizing and/or performing procedures within a patient's body such as within the heart, which are generally difficult to image because of surrounding opaque bodily fluids such as blood.
- ultrasound devices have been used to produce images from within a body in vivo.
- Ultrasound has been used both with and without contrast agents, which typically enhance ultrasound-derived images.
- catheters or probes having position sensors deployed within the body lumen such as the interior of a cardiac chamber.
- positional sensors are typically used to determine the movement of a cardiac tissue surface or the electrical activity within the cardiac tissue. When a sufficient number of points have been sampled by the sensors, a “map” of the cardiac tissue may be generated.
- Another conventional device utilizes an inflatable balloon which is typically introduced intravascularly in a deflated state and then inflated against the tissue region to be examined. Imaging is typically accomplished by an optical fiber or other apparatus such as electronic chips for viewing the tissue through the membrane(s) of the inflated balloon. Moreover, the balloon must generally be inflated for imaging.
- Other conventional balloons utilize a cavity or depression formed at a distal end of the inflated balloon. This cavity or depression is pressed against the tissue to be examined and is flushed with a clear fluid to provide a clear pathway through the blood.
- such imaging balloons have many inherent disadvantages. For instance, such balloons generally require that the balloon be inflated to a relatively large size which may undesirably displace surrounding tissue and interfere with fine positioning of the imaging system against the tissue. Moreover, the working area created by such inflatable balloons are generally cramped and limited in size. Furthermore, inflated balloons may be susceptible to pressure changes in the surrounding fluid. For example, if the environment surrounding the inflated balloon undergoes pressure changes, e.g., during systolic and diastolic pressure cycles in a beating heart, the constant pressure change may affect the inflated balloon volume and its positioning to produce unsteady or undesirable conditions for optimal tissue imaging.
- these types of imaging modalities are generally unable to provide desirable images useful for sufficient diagnosis and therapy of the endoluminal structure, due in part to factors such as dynamic forces generated by the natural movement of the heart.
- anatomic structures within the body can occlude or obstruct the image acquisition process.
- the presence and movement of opaque bodily fluids such as blood generally make in vivo imaging of tissue regions within the heart difficult.
- CT computed tomography
- MRI magnetic resonance imaging
- fluoroscopic imaging is widely used to identify anatomic landmarks within the heart and other regions of the body.
- fluoroscopy fails to provide an accurate image of the tissue quality or surface and also fails to provide for instrumentation for performing tissue manipulation or other therapeutic procedures upon the visualized tissue regions.
- fluoroscopy provides a shadow of the intervening tissue onto a plate or sensor when it may be desirable to view the intraluminal surface of the tissue to diagnose pathologies or to perform some form of therapy on it.
- tissue imaging system which is able to provide real-time in vivo images of tissue regions within body lumens such as the heart through opaque media such as blood and which also provide instruments for therapeutic procedures upon the visualized tissue are desirable.
- tissue imaging and manipulation apparatus that may be utilized for procedures within a body lumen, such as the heart, in which visualization of the surrounding tissue is made difficult, if not impossible, by medium contained within the lumen such as blood, is described below.
- a tissue imaging and manipulation apparatus comprises an optional delivery catheter or sheath through which a deployment catheter and imaging hood may be advanced for placement against or adjacent to the tissue to be imaged.
- the deployment catheter may define a fluid delivery lumen therethrough as well as an imaging lumen within which an optical imaging fiber or assembly may be disposed for imaging tissue.
- the imaging hood When deployed, the imaging hood may be expanded into any number of shapes, e.g., cylindrical, conical as shown, semi-spherical, etc., provided that an open area or field is defined by the imaging hood.
- the open area is the area within which the tissue region of interest may be imaged.
- the imaging hood may also define an atraumatic contact lip or edge for placement or abutment against the tissue region of interest.
- the distal end of the deployment catheter or separate manipulatable catheters may be articulated through various controlling mechanisms such as push-pull wires manually or via computer control
- the deployment catheter may also be stabilized relative to the tissue surface through various methods. For instance, inflatable stabilizing balloons positioned along a length of the catheter may be utilized, or tissue engagement anchors may be passed through or along the deployment catheter for temporary engagement of the underlying tissue.
- fluid may be pumped at a positive pressure through the fluid delivery lumen until the fluid fills the open area completely and displaces any blood from within the open area.
- the fluid may comprise any biocompatible fluid, e.g., saline, water, plasma, FluorinertTM, etc., which is sufficiently transparent to allow for relatively undistorted visualization through the fluid.
- the fluid may be pumped continuously or intermittently to allow for image capture by an optional processor which may be in communication with the assembly.
- the fluid flow rate may be controlled or metered via any number of actuators which may control the flow rate in a linear or non-linear manner.
- the imaging hood may be formed into any number of configurations and the imaging assembly may also be utilized with any number of therapeutic tools which may be deployed through the deployment catheter.
- the imaging assembly maybe utilized for additional procedures, such as clearing blood clots, emboli, and other debris which may be present in a body lumen. Additionally, other variations of the assembly may also be used for facilitating trans-septal access across tissue regions as well as for facilitate the maintenance of a patient body fluids during a procedure.
- FIG. 1A shows a side view of one variation of a tissue imaging apparatus during deployment from a sheath or delivery catheter.
- FIG. 1B shows the deployed tissue imaging apparatus of FIG. 1A having an optionally expandable hood or sheath attached to an imaging and/or diagnostic catheter.
- FIG. 1C shows an end view of a deployed imaging apparatus.
- FIGS. 1D to 1F show the apparatus of FIGS. 1A to 1C with an additional lumen, e.g., for passage of a guidewire therethrough.
- FIGS. 2A and 2B show one example of a deployed tissue imager positioned against or adjacent to the tissue to be imaged and a flow of fluid, such as saline, displacing blood from within the expandable hood.
- a flow of fluid such as saline
- FIG. 3A shows an articulatable imaging assembly which may be manipulated via push-pull wires or by computer control.
- FIGS. 3B and 3C show steerable instruments, respectively, where an articulatable delivery catheter may be steered within the imaging hood or a distal portion of the deployment catheter itself may be steered.
- FIGS. 4A to 4C show side and cross-sectional end views, respectively, of another variation having an off-axis imaging capability.
- FIG. 5 shows an illustrative view of an example of a tissue imager advanced intravascularly within a heart for imaging tissue regions within an atrial chamber.
- FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate deployment catheters having one or more optional inflatable balloons or anchors for stabilizing the device during a procedure.
- FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a variation of an anchoring mechanism such as a helical tissue piercing device for temporarily stabilizing the imaging hood relative to a tissue surface.
- an anchoring mechanism such as a helical tissue piercing device for temporarily stabilizing the imaging hood relative to a tissue surface.
- FIG. 7C shows another variation for anchoring the imaging hood having one or more tubular support members integrated with the imaging hood; each support members may define a lumen therethrough for advancing a helical tissue anchor within.
- FIG. 8A shows an illustrative example of one variation of how a tissue imager may be utilized with an imaging device.
- FIG. 8B shows a further illustration of a hand-held variation of the fluid delivery and tissue manipulation system.
- FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate an example of capturing several images of the tissue at multiple regions.
- FIGS. 10A and 10B show charts illustrating how fluid pressure within the imaging hood may be coordinated with the surrounding blood pressure; the fluid pressure in the imaging hood may be coordinated with the blood pressure or it may be regulated based upon pressure feedback from the blood.
- FIG. 11A shows an actuator which may be configured as a foot pedal or foot switch to control fluid infusion rates into the imaging hood.
- FIG. 11B illustrates an exemplary graph of various flow rate profiles which may be utilized when infusing the fluid into the imaging hood.
- FIGS. 12A to 12C illustrates a variation of the assembly which may be utilized to capture debris which may be errant in surrounding blood.
- FIG. 13 shows another variation of the assembly positioned within a heart chamber and which may be utilized for biopsy sampling or for debris extraction or removal from a body lumen.
- FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of another variation of the assembly configured for rapid-exchange of a guidewire.
- FIGS. 15A to 15D illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an assembly utilizing an outer sheath for crossing a region of tissue.
- FIG. 16 shows another variation of the assembly configured to withdraw diluted blood and to filter the blood for re-infusion back into the patient body.
- a tissue-imaging and manipulation apparatus described below is able to provide real-time images in vivo of tissue regions within a body lumen such as a heart, which is filled with blood flowing dynamically therethrough and is also able to provide intravascular tools and instruments for performing various procedures upon the imaged tissue regions.
- Such an apparatus may be utilized for many procedures, e.g., facilitating trans-septal access to the left atrium, cannulating the coronary sinus, diagnosis of valve regurgitation/stenosis, valvuloplasty, atrial appendage closure, arrhythmogenic focus ablation, among other procedures.
- tissue imaging and manipulation assembly 10 may be delivered intravascularly through the patient's body in a low-profile configuration via a delivery catheter or sheath 14 .
- tissue such as the mitral valve located at the outflow tract of the left atrium of the heart
- it is generally desirable to enter or access the left atrium while minimizing trauma to the patient.
- one conventional approach involves puncturing the intra-atrial septum from the right atrial chamber to the left atrial chamber in a procedure commonly called a trans-septal procedure or septostomy.
- trans-septal access to the left atrial chamber of the heart may allow for larger devices to be introduced into the venous system than can generally be introduced percutaneously into the arterial system.
- imaging hood 12 When the imaging and manipulation assembly 10 is ready to be utilized for imaging tissue, imaging hood 12 may be advanced relative to catheter 14 and deployed from a distal opening of catheter 14 , as shown by the arrow. Upon deployment, imaging hood 12 may be unconstrained to expand or open into a deployed imaging configuration, as shown in FIG. 1B .
- Imaging hood 12 may be fabricated from a variety of pliable or conformable biocompatible material including but not limited to, e.g., polymeric, plastic, or woven materials.
- a woven material is Kevlar® (E. I.
- imaging hood 12 may be fabricated from a translucent or opaque material and in a variety of different colors to optimize or attenuate any reflected lighting from surrounding fluids or structures, i.e., anatomical or mechanical structures or instruments. In either case, imaging hood 12 may be fabricated into a uniform structure or a scaffold-supported structure, in which case a scaffold made of a shape memory alloy, such as Nitinol, or a spring steel, or plastic, etc., may be fabricated and covered with the polymeric, plastic, or woven material.
- a shape memory alloy such as Nitinol, or a spring steel, or plastic, etc.
- Imaging hood 12 may be attached at interface 24 to a deployment catheter 16 which may be translated independently of deployment catheter or sheath 14 . Attachment of interface 24 may be accomplished through any number of conventional methods.
- Deployment catheter 16 may define a fluid delivery lumen 18 as well as an imaging lumen 20 within which an optical imaging fiber or assembly may be disposed for imaging tissue.
- imaging hood 12 When deployed, imaging hood 12 may expand into any number of shapes, e.g., cylindrical, conical as shown, semi-spherical, etc., provided that an open area or field 26 is defined by imaging hood 12 . The open area 26 is the area within which the tissue region of interest may be imaged.
- Imaging hood 12 may also define an atraumatic contact lip or edge 22 for placement or abutment against the tissue region of interest.
- the diameter of imaging hood 12 at its maximum fully deployed diameter is typically greater relative to a diameter of the deployment catheter 16 (although a diameter of contact lip or edge 22 may be made to have a smaller or equal diameter of deployment catheter 16 ).
- the contact edge diameter may range anywhere from 1 to 5 times (or even greater, as practicable) a diameter of deployment catheter 16 .
- FIG. 1C shows an end view of the imaging hood 12 in its deployed configuration. Also shown are the contact lip or edge 22 and fluid delivery lumen 18 and imaging lumen 20 .
- the imaging and manipulation assembly 10 may additionally define a guidewire lumen therethrough, e.g., a concentric or eccentric lumen, as shown in the side and end views, respectively, of FIGS. 1D to 1F .
- the deployment catheter 16 may define guidewire lumen 19 for facilitating the passage of the system over or along a guidewire 17 , which may be advanced intravascularly within a body lumen. The deployment catheter 16 may then be advanced over the guidewire 17 , as generally known in the art.
- the displacing fluid may be pumped at positive pressure through fluid delivery lumen 18 until the fluid fills open area 26 completely and displaces any fluid 28 from within open area 26 .
- the displacing fluid flow may be laminarized to improve its clearing effect and to help prevent blood from re-entering the imaging hood 12 .
- fluid flow may be started before the deployment takes place.
- the displacing fluid, also described herein as imaging fluid may comprise any biocompatible fluid, e.g., saline, water, plasma, etc., which is sufficiently transparent to allow for relatively undistorted visualization through the fluid.
- any number of therapeutic drugs may be suspended within the fluid or may comprise the fluid itself which is pumped into open area 26 and which is subsequently passed into and through the heart and the patient body.
- deployment catheter 16 may be manipulated to position deployed imaging hood 12 against or near the underlying tissue region of interest to be imaged, in this example a portion of annulus A of mitral valve MV within the left atrial chamber.
- the translucent fluid 28 such as saline, may then be pumped through fluid delivery lumen 18 , intermittently or continuously, until the blood 30 is at least partially, and preferably completely, displaced from within open area 26 by fluid 28 , as shown in FIG. 2B .
- contact edge 22 need not directly contact the underlying tissue, it is at least preferably brought into close proximity to the tissue such that the flow of clear fluid 28 from open area 26 may be maintained to inhibit significant backflow of blood 30 back into open area 26 .
- Contact edge 22 may also be made of a soft elastomeric material such as certain soft grades of silicone or polyurethane, as typically known, to help contact edge 22 conform to an uneven or rough underlying anatomical tissue surface.
- the fluid 28 may be pumped temporarily or sporadically only until a clear view of the tissue is available to be imaged and recorded, at which point the fluid flow 28 may cease and blood 30 may be allowed to seep or flow back into imaging hood 12 . This process may be repeated a number of times at the same tissue region or at multiple tissue regions.
- a number of articulation and manipulation controls may be utilized.
- one or more push-pull wires 42 may be routed through deployment catheter 16 for steering the distal end portion of the device in various directions 46 to desirably position the imaging hood 12 adjacent to a region of tissue to be visualized.
- deployment catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 may be articulated into any number of configurations 44 .
- the push-pull wire or wires 42 may be articulated via their proximal ends from outside the patient body manually utilizing one or more controls.
- deployment catheter 16 may be articulated by computer control, as further described below.
- an articulatable delivery catheter 48 which may be articulated via one or more push-pull wires and having an imaging lumen and one or more working lumens, may be delivered through the deployment catheter 16 and into imaging hood 12 .
- the clear displacing fluid may be pumped through delivery catheter 48 or deployment catheter 16 to clear the field within imaging hood 12 .
- the articulatable delivery catheter 48 may be articulated within the imaging hood to obtain a better image of tissue adjacent to the imaging hood 12 .
- articulatable delivery catheter 48 may be articulated to direct an instrument or tool passed through the catheter 48 , as described in detail below, to specific areas of tissue imaged through imaging hood 12 without having to reposition deployment catheter 16 and re-clear the imaging field within hood 12 .
- a distal portion of the deployment catheter 16 itself may comprise a distal end 49 which is articulatable within imaging hood 12 , as shown in FIG. 3C .
- Directed imaging, instrument delivery, etc. may be accomplished directly through one or more lumens within deployment catheter 16 to specific regions of the underlying tissue imaged within imaging hood 12 .
- Visualization within the imaging hood 12 may be accomplished through an imaging lumen 20 defined through deployment catheter 16 , as described above. In such a configuration, visualization is available in a straight-line manner, i.e., images are generated from the field distally along a longitudinal axis defined by the deployment catheter 16 .
- an articulatable imaging assembly having a pivotable support member 50 may be connected to, mounted to, or otherwise passed through deployment catheter 16 to provide for visualization off-axis relative to the longitudinal axis defined by deployment catheter 16 , as shown in FIG. 4A .
- Support member 50 may have an imaging element 52 , e.g., a CCD or CMOS imager or optical fiber, attached at its distal end with its proximal end connected to deployment catheter 16 via a pivoting connection 54 .
- the optical fibers 58 may be passed through deployment catheter 16 , as shown in the cross-section of FIG. 4B , and routed through the support member 50 .
- the use of optical fibers 58 may provide for increased diameter sizes of the one or several lumens 56 through deployment catheter 16 for the passage of diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools therethrough.
- electronic chips such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a CMOS imager, which are typically known, may be utilized in place of the optical fibers 58 , in which case the electronic imager may be positioned in the distal portion of the deployment catheter 16 with electric wires being routed proximally through the deployment catheter 16 .
- CCD charge coupled device
- CMOS imager which are typically known
- the electronic imagers may be wirelessly coupled to a receiver for the wireless transmission of images.
- Additional optical fibers or light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be used to provide lighting for the image or operative theater, as described below in further detail.
- Support member 50 may be pivoted via connection 54 such that the member 50 can be positioned in a low-profile configuration within channel or groove 60 defined in a distal portion of catheter 16 , as shown in the cross-section of FIG. 4C .
- support member 50 can be positioned within channel or groove 60 with imaging hood 12 also in its low-profile configuration.
- imaging hood 12 may be expanded into its deployed configuration and support member 50 may be deployed into its off-axis configuration for imaging the tissue adjacent to hood 12 , as in FIG. 4A .
- Other configurations for support member 50 for off-axis visualization may be utilized, as desired.
- FIG. 5 shows an illustrative cross-sectional view of a heart H having tissue regions of interest being viewed via an imaging assembly 10 .
- delivery catheter assembly 70 may be introduced percutaneously into the patient's vasculature and advanced through the superior vena cava SVC and into the right atrium RA.
- the delivery catheter or sheath 72 may be articulated through the atrial septum AS and into the left atrium LA for viewing or treating the tissue, e.g., the annulus A, surrounding the mitral valve MV.
- deployment catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 may be advanced out of delivery catheter 72 and brought into contact or in proximity to the tissue region of interest.
- delivery catheter assembly 70 may be advanced through the inferior vena cava IVC, if so desired.
- other regions of the heart H e.g., the right ventricle RV or left ventricle LV, may also be accessed and imaged or treated by imaging assembly 10 .
- the delivery catheter or sheath 14 may comprise a conventional intra-vascular catheter or an endoluminal delivery device.
- robotically-controlled delivery catheters may also be optionally utilized with the imaging assembly described herein, in which case a computer-controller 74 may be used to control the articulation and positioning of the delivery catheter 14 .
- An example of a robotically-controlled delivery catheter which may be utilized is described in further detail in US Pat. Pub. 2002/0087169 A1 to Brock et al. entitled “Flexible Instrument”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- Other robotically-controlled delivery catheters manufactured by Hansen Medical, Inc. may also be utilized with the delivery catheter . 14 .
- one or more inflatable balloons or anchors 76 may be positioned along the length of catheter 16 , as shown in FIG. 6A .
- the inflatable balloons 76 may be inflated from a low-profile into their expanded configuration to temporarily anchor or stabilize the catheter 16 position relative to the heart H.
- FIG. 6B shows a first balloon 78 inflated while FIG. 6C also shows a second balloon 80 inflated proximal to the first balloon 78 .
- the septal wall AS may be wedged or sandwiched between the balloons 78 , 80 to temporarily stabilize the catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 .
- a single balloon 78 or both balloons 78 , 80 may be used. Other alternatives may utilize expandable mesh members, malecots, or any other temporary expandable structure.
- the balloon assembly 76 may be deflated or re-configured into a low-profile for removal of the deployment catheter 16 .
- various anchoring mechanisms may be optionally employed for temporarily holding the imaging hood 12 against the tissue.
- Such anchoring mechanisms may be particularly useful for imaging tissue which is subject to movement, e.g., when imaging tissue within the chambers of a beating heart.
- a tool delivery catheter 82 having at least one instrument lumen and an optional visualization lumen may be delivered through deployment catheter 16 and into an expanded imaging hood 12 .
- an anchoring mechanisms such as a helical tissue piercing device 84 may be passed through the tool delivery catheter 82 , as shown in FIG. 7A , and into imaging hood 12 .
- the helical tissue engaging device 84 may be torqued from its proximal end outside the patient body to temporarily anchor itself into the underlying tissue surface T. Once embedded within the tissue T, the helical tissue engaging device 84 may be pulled proximally relative to deployment catheter 16 while the deployment catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 are pushed distally, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7B , to gently force the contact edge or lip 22 of imaging hood against the tissue T. The positioning of the tissue engaging device 84 may be locked temporarily relative to the deployment catheter 16 to ensure secure positioning of the imaging hood 12 during a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure within the imaging hood 12 .
- tissue engaging device 84 may be disengaged from the tissue by torquing its proximal end in the opposite direction to remove the anchor form the tissue T and the deployment catheter 16 may be repositioned to another region of tissue where the anchoring process may be repeated or removed from the patient body.
- the tissue engaging device 84 may also be constructed from other known tissue engaging devices such as vacuum-assisted engagement or grasper-assisted engagement tools, among others.
- helical anchor 84 is shown, this is intended to be illustrative and other types of temporary anchors may be utilized, e.g., hooked or barbed anchors, graspers, etc.
- the tool delivery catheter 82 may be omitted entirely and the anchoring device may be delivered directly through a lumen defined through the deployment catheter 16 .
- FIG. 7C shows an imaging hood 12 having one or more tubular support members 86 , e.g., four support members 86 as shown, integrated with the imaging hood 12 .
- the tubular support members 86 may define lumens therethrough each having helical tissue engaging devices 88 positioned within.
- the helical tissue engaging devices 88 may be urged distally to extend from imaging hood 12 and each may be torqued from its proximal end to engage the underlying tissue T.
- Each of the helical tissue engaging devices 88 may be advanced through the length of deployment catheter 16 or they may be positioned within tubular support members 86 during the delivery and deployment of imaging hood 12 . Once the procedure within imaging hood 12 is finished, each of the tissue engaging devices 88 may be disengaged from the tissue and the imaging hood 12 may be repositioned to another region of tissue or removed from the patient body.
- FIG. 8A An illustrative example is shown in FIG. 8A of a tissue imaging assembly connected to a fluid delivery system 90 and to an optional processor 98 and image recorder and/or viewer 100 .
- the fluid delivery system 90 may generally comprise a pump 92 and an optional valve 94 for controlling the flow rate of the fluid into the system.
- a fluid reservoir 96 fluidly connected to pump 92 , may hold the fluid to be pumped through imaging hood 12 .
- An optional central processing unit or processor 98 may be in electrical communication with fluid delivery system 90 for controlling flow parameters such as the flow rate and/or velocity of the pumped fluid.
- the processor 98 may also be in electrical communication with an image recorder and/or viewer 100 for directly viewing the images of tissue received from within imaging hood 12 .
- Imager recorder and/or viewer 100 may also be used not only to record the image but also the location of the viewed tissue region, if so desired.
- processor 98 may also be utilized to coordinate the fluid flow and the image capture.
- processor 98 may be programmed to provide for fluid flow from reservoir 96 until the tissue area has been displaced of blood to obtain a clear image. Once the image has been determined to be sufficiently clear, either visually by a practitioner or by computer, an image of the tissue may be captured automatically by recorder 100 and pump 92 may be automatically stopped or slowed by processor 98 to cease the fluid flow into the patient.
- Other variations for fluid delivery and image capture are, of course, possible and the aforementioned configuration is intended only to be illustrative and not limiting.
- FIG. 8B shows a further illustration of a hand-held variation of the fluid delivery and tissue manipulation system 110 .
- system 110 may have a housing or handle assembly 112 which can be held or manipulated by the physician from outside the patient body.
- the fluid reservoir 114 shown in this variation as a syringe, can be fluidly coupled to the handle assembly 112 and actuated via a pumping mechanism 116 , e.g., lead screw.
- Fluid reservoir 114 may be a simple reservoir separated from the handle assembly 112 and fluidly coupled to handle assembly 112 via one or more tubes. The fluid flow rate and other mechanisms may be metered by the electronic controller 118 .
- Deployment of imaging hood 12 may be actuated by a hood deployment switch 120 located on the handle assembly 112 while dispensation of the fluid from reservoir 114 may be actuated by a fluid deployment switch 122 , which can be electrically coupled to the controller 118 .
- Controller 118 may also be electrically coupled to a wired or wireless antenna 124 optionally integrated with the handle assembly 112 , as shown in the figure.
- the wireless antenna 124 can be used to wirelessly transmit images captured from the imaging hood 12 to a receiver, e.g., via Bluetooth® wireless technology (Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Bellevue, Wash.), RF, etc., for viewing on a monitor 128 or for recording for later viewing.
- Articulation control of the deployment catheter 16 , or a delivery catheter or sheath 14 through which the deployment catheter 16 may be delivered may be accomplished by computer control, as described above, in which case an additional controller may be utilized with handle assembly 112 .
- handle assembly 112 may incorporate one or more articulation controls 126 for manual manipulation of the position of deployment catheter 16 .
- Handle assembly 112 may also define one or more instrument ports 130 through which a number of intravascular tools may be passed for tissue manipulation and treatment within imaging hood 12 , as described further below.
- fluid or debris may be sucked into imaging hood 12 for evacuation from the patient body by optionally fluidly coupling a suction pump 132 to handle assembly 112 or directly to deployment catheter 16 .
- fluid may be pumped continuously into imaging hood 12 to provide for clear viewing of the underlying tissue.
- fluid may be pumped temporarily or sporadically only until a clear view of the tissue is available to be imaged and recorded, at which point the fluid flow may cease and the blood may be allowed to seep or flow back into imaging hood 12 .
- FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate an example of capturing several images of the tissue at multiple regions.
- Deployment catheter 16 may be desirably positioned and imaging hood 12 deployed and brought into position against a region of tissue to be imaged, in this example the tissue surrounding a mitral valve MV within the left atrium of a patient's heart.
- the imaging hood 12 may be optionally anchored to the tissue, as described above, and then cleared by pumping the imaging fluid into the hood 12 . Once sufficiently clear, the tissue may be visualized and the image captured by control electronics 118 .
- the first captured image 140 may be stored and/or transmitted wirelessly 124 to a monitor 128 for viewing by the physician, as shown in FIG. 9A .
- the deployment catheter 16 may be then repositioned to an adjacent portion of mitral valve MV, as shown in FIG. 9B , where the process may be repeated to capture a second image 142 for viewing and/or recording.
- the deployment catheter 16 may again be repositioned to another region of tissue, as shown in FIG. 9C , where a third image 144 may be captured for viewing and/or recording. This procedure may be repeated as many times as necessary for capturing a comprehensive image of the tissue surrounding mitral valve MV, or any other tissue region.
- the pump may be stopped during positioning and blood or surrounding fluid may be allowed to enter within imaging hood 12 until the tissue is to be imaged, where the imaging hood 12 may be cleared, as above.
- the fluid when the imaging hood 12 is cleared by pumping the imaging fluid within for clearing the blood or other bodily fluid, the fluid may be pumped continuously to maintain the imaging fluid within the hood 12 at a positive pressure or it may be pumped under computer control for slowing or stopping the fluid flow into the hood 12 upon detection of various parameters or until a clear image of the underlying tissue is obtained.
- the control electronics 118 may also be programmed to coordinate the fluid flow into the imaging hood 12 with various physical parameters to maintain a clear image within imaging hood 12 .
- FIG. 10A shows a chart 150 illustrating how fluid pressure within the imaging hood 12 may be coordinated with the surrounding blood pressure.
- Chart 150 shows the cyclical blood pressure 156 alternating between diastolic pressure 152 and systolic pressure 154 over time T due to the beating motion of the patient heart.
- the fluid pressure of the imaging fluid, indicated by plot 160 within imaging hood 12 may be automatically timed to correspond to the blood pressure changes 160 such that an increased pressure is maintained within imaging hood 12 which is consistently above the blood pressure 156 by a slight increase ⁇ P, as illustrated by the pressure difference at the peak systolic pressure 158 .
- This pressure difference, ⁇ P may be maintained within imaging hood 12 over the pressure variance of the surrounding blood pressure to maintain a positive imaging fluid pressure within imaging hood 12 to maintain a clear view of the underlying tissue.
- One benefit of maintaining a constant ⁇ P is a constant flow and maintenance of a clear field.
- FIG. 10B shows a chart 162 illustrating another variation for maintaining a clear view of the underlying tissue
- one or more sensors within the imaging hood 12 may be configured to sense pressure changes within the imaging hood 12 and to correspondingly increase the imaging fluid pressure within imaging hood 12 .
- This may result in a time delay, ⁇ T, as illustrated by the shifted fluid pressure 160 relative to the cycling blood pressure 156 , although the time delay ⁇ T may be negligible in maintaining the clear image of the underlying tissue.
- Predictive software algorithms can also be used to substantially eliminate this time delay by predicting when the next pressure wave peak will arrive and by increasing the pressure ahead of the pressure wave's arrival by an amount of time equal to the aforementioned time delay to essentially cancel the time delay out.
- imaging hood 12 The variations in fluid pressure within imaging hood 12 may be accomplished in part due to the nature of imaging hood 12 .
- An inflatable balloon which is conventionally utilized for imaging tissue, may be affected by the surrounding blood pressure changes.
- an imaging hood 12 retains a constant volume therewithin and is structurally unaffected by the surrounding blood pressure changes, thus allowing for pressure increases therewithin.
- the material that hood 12 is made from may also contribute to the manner in which the pressure is modulated within this hood 12 .
- a stiffer hood material such as high durometer polyurethane or Nylon, may facilitate the maintaining of an open hood when deployed.
- a relatively lower durometer or softer material such as a low durometer PVC or polyurethane, may collapse from the surrounding fluid pressure and may not adequately maintain a deployed or expanded hood.
- pressure and/or flow rate of the purging fluid injected into hood 12 may be controlled by the user manually or automatically. For instance, the user may simply actuate a control such that the fluid injects into hood 12 at a pre-set flow rate, which may be linear or non-linear. In other variations, the user may control the flow rate by controlling the degree of actuation. As illustrated in FIG. 11 A, user 170 may depress actuator 172 , in this variation configured as a foot pedal or foot switch which may be depressed anywhere from an initial position A to a fully depressed position B. Depending upon the controller connected to actuator 172 , the user 170 may depress the switch some distance d to increase flow rate.
- the flow rate may be pre-set to inject the fluid along a linear rate 180 or any variation of non-linear rates 182 184 , e.g., exponential, logarithmic, etc., as shown in the exemplary plot in FIG. 11B .
- hood 12 may be configured in other variations to effect alternative procedures.
- FIGS. 12A to 12C illustrates one variation where hood 12 may be configured to have a pullwire 192 passed around the circumference or lip 194 of the hood 12 to aid in capturing debris, such as emboli, tissue, etc., which may be errant in the surrounding blood.
- Pullwire 192 may be passed through catheter 16 and through an incompressible lumened structure such as coiled body 190 and around the hood 12 , as shown in FIG. 12A .
- errant debris 198 may be visualized, as above, and captured within opening 196 of hood 12 , as shown in FIG. 12B .
- pullwire 192 may be actuated and pulled proximally to collapse the circumference or lip 194 of the hood 12 to securely trap debris 198 within, as shown in FIG. 12C . Deployment catheter 16 and hood 12 may then be withdrawn from the body to safely remove debris 198 .
- deployment catheter 16 and hood 12 may also be utilized to visualize debris 204 , such as blood clots, etc., utilizing the fluid displacement described herein, in various regions of the body, such as the chambers of the heart like the left ventricle LV, as shown in FIG. 13 .
- the apex AP of the heart is also illustrated for reference.
- hood 12 may be used to purge the opaque blood from the region to visualize debris 204 which may be lodged within the chamber.
- an instrument such as a biopsy instrument or thrombectomy-type catheter 200 having an opening 202 may be advanced into proximity to or directly against the debris 204 where it may be actuated to begin extraction and removal of the debris.
- hood 12 may be integrated with one or more angled projections 214 extending distally from hood 12 , as shown in FIG. 14 .
- projections 214 may be engaged into the tissue by rotating catheter shaft 16 to temporarily secure the hood 12 against the tissue surface. Disengagement may be accomplished by simply rotating catheter shaft 16 in the opposite direction.
- Catheter shaft 16 may also additionally incorporate a guidewire exchange lumen 212 defined along catheter 16 proximally of hood 12 .
- Lumen 212 may allow for the rapid exchange of devices, including the catheter 16 and hood 12 , during an interventional procedure when utilized with guidewire 210 .
- the catheter 16 may be used to facilitate the crossing of tissue regions, e.g., through an atrial-septal defect (ASD) or patent foramen ovale (PFO) or through an artificially-created opening or fistula, for accessing other body lumens.
- deployment catheter 16 and hood 12 may be articulated to identify a region of tissue, such as the atrial-septal wall AS having a septal defect such as PFO 220 .
- an optional outer catheter sheath 222 may be advanced distally over deployment catheter 16 and hood 12 to retract the hood 12 into its low-profile configuration, as shown in FIG. 15B .
- deployment catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 may be penetrated to access the opposite body lumen. Once the distal opening of sheath 222 is cleared of opening 220 , deployment catheter 16 and imaging hood 12 may be projected from sheath 222 to allow the imaging hood 12 to redeploy into its expanded configuration, as shown in FIG. 15D .
- FIG. 16 shows imaging hood 12 disposed upon the end of a deployment catheter 230 configured to draw blood which may be infused with excessive amounts of saline into entry ports 232 defined along catheter shaft 230 .
- the drawn blood may be passed proximally through catheter 230 through lumen 236 , which may be fluidly coupled to a pump 242 , such as a peristaltic pump, located in filtering assembly 240 .
- the withdrawn diluted blood may be passed through filter 244 , where excess water or saline may be extracted via aquaphoresis.
- the filtered blood may then be pumped back through catheter 230 via lumen 238 and out through one or more exit ports 234 , where the blood may be re-infused back into the patient body to maintain the fluid balance of the patient.
Abstract
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/560,742, filed Nov. 16, 2006, which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 60/737,521 filed Nov. 16, 2005. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/560,742 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/259,498 filed Oct. 25, 2005, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional patent application No. 60/649,246 filed Feb. 2, 2005, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention relates generally to medical devices used for visualizing and/or closing openings or defects within a body. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for visualizing and/or performing procedures within a patient's body such as within the heart, which are generally difficult to image because of surrounding opaque bodily fluids such as blood.
- Conventional devices for visualizing interior regions of a body lumen are known. For example, ultrasound devices have been used to produce images from within a body in vivo. Ultrasound has been used both with and without contrast agents, which typically enhance ultrasound-derived images.
- Other conventional methods have utilized catheters or probes having position sensors deployed within the body lumen, such as the interior of a cardiac chamber. These types of positional sensors are typically used to determine the movement of a cardiac tissue surface or the electrical activity within the cardiac tissue. When a sufficient number of points have been sampled by the sensors, a “map” of the cardiac tissue may be generated.
- Another conventional device utilizes an inflatable balloon which is typically introduced intravascularly in a deflated state and then inflated against the tissue region to be examined. Imaging is typically accomplished by an optical fiber or other apparatus such as electronic chips for viewing the tissue through the membrane(s) of the inflated balloon. Moreover, the balloon must generally be inflated for imaging. Other conventional balloons utilize a cavity or depression formed at a distal end of the inflated balloon. This cavity or depression is pressed against the tissue to be examined and is flushed with a clear fluid to provide a clear pathway through the blood.
- However, such imaging balloons have many inherent disadvantages. For instance, such balloons generally require that the balloon be inflated to a relatively large size which may undesirably displace surrounding tissue and interfere with fine positioning of the imaging system against the tissue. Moreover, the working area created by such inflatable balloons are generally cramped and limited in size. Furthermore, inflated balloons may be susceptible to pressure changes in the surrounding fluid. For example, if the environment surrounding the inflated balloon undergoes pressure changes, e.g., during systolic and diastolic pressure cycles in a beating heart, the constant pressure change may affect the inflated balloon volume and its positioning to produce unsteady or undesirable conditions for optimal tissue imaging.
- Accordingly, these types of imaging modalities are generally unable to provide desirable images useful for sufficient diagnosis and therapy of the endoluminal structure, due in part to factors such as dynamic forces generated by the natural movement of the heart. Moreover, anatomic structures within the body can occlude or obstruct the image acquisition process. Also, the presence and movement of opaque bodily fluids such as blood generally make in vivo imaging of tissue regions within the heart difficult.
- Other external imaging modalities are also conventionally utilized. For example, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are typical modalities which are widely used to obtain images of body lumens such as the interior chambers of the heart. However, such imaging modalities fail to provide real-time imaging for intra-operative therapeutic procedures. Fluoroscopic imaging, for instance, is widely used to identify anatomic landmarks within the heart and other regions of the body. However, fluoroscopy fails to provide an accurate image of the tissue quality or surface and also fails to provide for instrumentation for performing tissue manipulation or other therapeutic procedures upon the visualized tissue regions. In addition, fluoroscopy provides a shadow of the intervening tissue onto a plate or sensor when it may be desirable to view the intraluminal surface of the tissue to diagnose pathologies or to perform some form of therapy on it.
- Thus, a tissue imaging system which is able to provide real-time in vivo images of tissue regions within body lumens such as the heart through opaque media such as blood and which also provide instruments for therapeutic procedures upon the visualized tissue are desirable.
- A tissue imaging and manipulation apparatus that may be utilized for procedures within a body lumen, such as the heart, in which visualization of the surrounding tissue is made difficult, if not impossible, by medium contained within the lumen such as blood, is described below. Generally, such a tissue imaging and manipulation apparatus comprises an optional delivery catheter or sheath through which a deployment catheter and imaging hood may be advanced for placement against or adjacent to the tissue to be imaged.
- The deployment catheter may define a fluid delivery lumen therethrough as well as an imaging lumen within which an optical imaging fiber or assembly may be disposed for imaging tissue. When deployed, the imaging hood may be expanded into any number of shapes, e.g., cylindrical, conical as shown, semi-spherical, etc., provided that an open area or field is defined by the imaging hood. The open area is the area within which the tissue region of interest may be imaged. The imaging hood may also define an atraumatic contact lip or edge for placement or abutment against the tissue region of interest. Moreover, the distal end of the deployment catheter or separate manipulatable catheters may be articulated through various controlling mechanisms such as push-pull wires manually or via computer control
- The deployment catheter may also be stabilized relative to the tissue surface through various methods. For instance, inflatable stabilizing balloons positioned along a length of the catheter may be utilized, or tissue engagement anchors may be passed through or along the deployment catheter for temporary engagement of the underlying tissue.
- In operation, after the imaging hood has been deployed, fluid may be pumped at a positive pressure through the fluid delivery lumen until the fluid fills the open area completely and displaces any blood from within the open area. The fluid may comprise any biocompatible fluid, e.g., saline, water, plasma, Fluorinert™, etc., which is sufficiently transparent to allow for relatively undistorted visualization through the fluid. The fluid may be pumped continuously or intermittently to allow for image capture by an optional processor which may be in communication with the assembly. Moreover, the fluid flow rate may be controlled or metered via any number of actuators which may control the flow rate in a linear or non-linear manner.
- The imaging hood may be formed into any number of configurations and the imaging assembly may also be utilized with any number of therapeutic tools which may be deployed through the deployment catheter.
- Moreover, the imaging assembly maybe utilized for additional procedures, such as clearing blood clots, emboli, and other debris which may be present in a body lumen. Additionally, other variations of the assembly may also be used for facilitating trans-septal access across tissue regions as well as for facilitate the maintenance of a patient body fluids during a procedure.
-
FIG. 1A shows a side view of one variation of a tissue imaging apparatus during deployment from a sheath or delivery catheter. -
FIG. 1B shows the deployed tissue imaging apparatus ofFIG. 1A having an optionally expandable hood or sheath attached to an imaging and/or diagnostic catheter. -
FIG. 1C shows an end view of a deployed imaging apparatus. -
FIGS. 1D to 1F show the apparatus ofFIGS. 1A to 1C with an additional lumen, e.g., for passage of a guidewire therethrough. -
FIGS. 2A and 2B show one example of a deployed tissue imager positioned against or adjacent to the tissue to be imaged and a flow of fluid, such as saline, displacing blood from within the expandable hood. -
FIG. 3A shows an articulatable imaging assembly which may be manipulated via push-pull wires or by computer control. -
FIGS. 3B and 3C show steerable instruments, respectively, where an articulatable delivery catheter may be steered within the imaging hood or a distal portion of the deployment catheter itself may be steered. -
FIGS. 4A to 4C show side and cross-sectional end views, respectively, of another variation having an off-axis imaging capability. -
FIG. 5 shows an illustrative view of an example of a tissue imager advanced intravascularly within a heart for imaging tissue regions within an atrial chamber. -
FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate deployment catheters having one or more optional inflatable balloons or anchors for stabilizing the device during a procedure. -
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a variation of an anchoring mechanism such as a helical tissue piercing device for temporarily stabilizing the imaging hood relative to a tissue surface. -
FIG. 7C shows another variation for anchoring the imaging hood having one or more tubular support members integrated with the imaging hood; each support members may define a lumen therethrough for advancing a helical tissue anchor within. -
FIG. 8A shows an illustrative example of one variation of how a tissue imager may be utilized with an imaging device. -
FIG. 8B shows a further illustration of a hand-held variation of the fluid delivery and tissue manipulation system. -
FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate an example of capturing several images of the tissue at multiple regions. -
FIGS. 10A and 10B show charts illustrating how fluid pressure within the imaging hood may be coordinated with the surrounding blood pressure; the fluid pressure in the imaging hood may be coordinated with the blood pressure or it may be regulated based upon pressure feedback from the blood. -
FIG. 11A shows an actuator which may be configured as a foot pedal or foot switch to control fluid infusion rates into the imaging hood. -
FIG. 11B illustrates an exemplary graph of various flow rate profiles which may be utilized when infusing the fluid into the imaging hood. -
FIGS. 12A to 12C illustrates a variation of the assembly which may be utilized to capture debris which may be errant in surrounding blood. -
FIG. 13 shows another variation of the assembly positioned within a heart chamber and which may be utilized for biopsy sampling or for debris extraction or removal from a body lumen. -
FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of another variation of the assembly configured for rapid-exchange of a guidewire. -
FIGS. 15A to 15D illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of an assembly utilizing an outer sheath for crossing a region of tissue. -
FIG. 16 shows another variation of the assembly configured to withdraw diluted blood and to filter the blood for re-infusion back into the patient body. - A tissue-imaging and manipulation apparatus described below is able to provide real-time images in vivo of tissue regions within a body lumen such as a heart, which is filled with blood flowing dynamically therethrough and is also able to provide intravascular tools and instruments for performing various procedures upon the imaged tissue regions. Such an apparatus may be utilized for many procedures, e.g., facilitating trans-septal access to the left atrium, cannulating the coronary sinus, diagnosis of valve regurgitation/stenosis, valvuloplasty, atrial appendage closure, arrhythmogenic focus ablation, among other procedures.
- One variation of a tissue access and imaging apparatus is shown in the detail perspective views of
FIGS. 1A to 1C . As shown inFIG. 1A , tissue imaging andmanipulation assembly 10 may be delivered intravascularly through the patient's body in a low-profile configuration via a delivery catheter orsheath 14. In the case of treating tissue, such as the mitral valve located at the outflow tract of the left atrium of the heart, it is generally desirable to enter or access the left atrium while minimizing trauma to the patient. To non-operatively effect such access, one conventional approach involves puncturing the intra-atrial septum from the right atrial chamber to the left atrial chamber in a procedure commonly called a trans-septal procedure or septostomy. For procedures such as percutaneous valve repair and replacement, trans-septal access to the left atrial chamber of the heart may allow for larger devices to be introduced into the venous system than can generally be introduced percutaneously into the arterial system. - When the imaging and
manipulation assembly 10 is ready to be utilized for imaging tissue,imaging hood 12 may be advanced relative tocatheter 14 and deployed from a distal opening ofcatheter 14, as shown by the arrow. Upon deployment,imaging hood 12 may be unconstrained to expand or open into a deployed imaging configuration, as shown inFIG. 1B .Imaging hood 12 may be fabricated from a variety of pliable or conformable biocompatible material including but not limited to, e.g., polymeric, plastic, or woven materials. One example of a woven material is Kevlar® (E. I. du Pont de Nemours, Wilmington, Del.), which is an aramid and which can be made into thin, e.g., less than 0.001 in., materials which maintain enough integrity for such applications described herein. Moreover, theimaging hood 12 may be fabricated from a translucent or opaque material and in a variety of different colors to optimize or attenuate any reflected lighting from surrounding fluids or structures, i.e., anatomical or mechanical structures or instruments. In either case, imaginghood 12 may be fabricated into a uniform structure or a scaffold-supported structure, in which case a scaffold made of a shape memory alloy, such as Nitinol, or a spring steel, or plastic, etc., may be fabricated and covered with the polymeric, plastic, or woven material. -
Imaging hood 12 may be attached atinterface 24 to adeployment catheter 16 which may be translated independently of deployment catheter orsheath 14. Attachment ofinterface 24 may be accomplished through any number of conventional methods.Deployment catheter 16 may define afluid delivery lumen 18 as well as animaging lumen 20 within which an optical imaging fiber or assembly may be disposed for imaging tissue. When deployed,imaging hood 12 may expand into any number of shapes, e.g., cylindrical, conical as shown, semi-spherical, etc., provided that an open area orfield 26 is defined by imaginghood 12. Theopen area 26 is the area within which the tissue region of interest may be imaged.Imaging hood 12 may also define an atraumatic contact lip or edge 22 for placement or abutment against the tissue region of interest. Moreover, the diameter ofimaging hood 12 at its maximum fully deployed diameter, e.g., at contact lip oredge 22, is typically greater relative to a diameter of the deployment catheter 16 (although a diameter of contact lip or edge 22 may be made to have a smaller or equal diameter of deployment catheter 16). For instance, the contact edge diameter may range anywhere from 1 to 5 times (or even greater, as practicable) a diameter ofdeployment catheter 16.FIG. 1C shows an end view of theimaging hood 12 in its deployed configuration. Also shown are the contact lip or edge 22 andfluid delivery lumen 18 andimaging lumen 20. - The imaging and
manipulation assembly 10 may additionally define a guidewire lumen therethrough, e.g., a concentric or eccentric lumen, as shown in the side and end views, respectively, ofFIGS. 1D to 1F . Thedeployment catheter 16 may defineguidewire lumen 19 for facilitating the passage of the system over or along aguidewire 17, which may be advanced intravascularly within a body lumen. Thedeployment catheter 16 may then be advanced over theguidewire 17, as generally known in the art. - In operation, after imaging
hood 12 has been deployed, as inFIG. 1B , and desirably positioned against the tissue region to be imaged alongcontact edge 22, the displacing fluid may be pumped at positive pressure throughfluid delivery lumen 18 until the fluid fillsopen area 26 completely and displaces any fluid 28 from withinopen area 26. The displacing fluid flow may be laminarized to improve its clearing effect and to help prevent blood from re-entering theimaging hood 12. Alternatively, fluid flow may be started before the deployment takes place. The displacing fluid, also described herein as imaging fluid, may comprise any biocompatible fluid, e.g., saline, water, plasma, etc., which is sufficiently transparent to allow for relatively undistorted visualization through the fluid. Alternatively or additionally, any number of therapeutic drugs may be suspended within the fluid or may comprise the fluid itself which is pumped intoopen area 26 and which is subsequently passed into and through the heart and the patient body. - As seen in the example of
FIGS. 2A and 2B ,deployment catheter 16 may be manipulated to position deployedimaging hood 12 against or near the underlying tissue region of interest to be imaged, in this example a portion of annulus A of mitral valve MV within the left atrial chamber. As the surroundingblood 30 flows aroundimaging hood 12 and withinopen area 26 defined withinimaging hood 12, as seen inFIG. 2A , the underlying annulus A is obstructed by theopaque blood 30 and is difficult to view through theimaging lumen 20. Thetranslucent fluid 28, such as saline, may then be pumped throughfluid delivery lumen 18, intermittently or continuously, until theblood 30 is at least partially, and preferably completely, displaced from withinopen area 26 byfluid 28, as shown inFIG. 2B . - Although
contact edge 22 need not directly contact the underlying tissue, it is at least preferably brought into close proximity to the tissue such that the flow ofclear fluid 28 fromopen area 26 may be maintained to inhibit significant backflow ofblood 30 back intoopen area 26.Contact edge 22 may also be made of a soft elastomeric material such as certain soft grades of silicone or polyurethane, as typically known, to help contactedge 22 conform to an uneven or rough underlying anatomical tissue surface. Once theblood 30 has been displaced from imaginghood 12, an image may then be viewed of the underlying tissue through theclear fluid 30. This image may then be recorded or available for real-time viewing for performing a therapeutic procedure. The positive flow offluid 28 may be maintained continuously to provide for clear viewing of the underlying tissue. Alternatively, the fluid 28 may be pumped temporarily or sporadically only until a clear view of the tissue is available to be imaged and recorded, at which point thefluid flow 28 may cease andblood 30 may be allowed to seep or flow back intoimaging hood 12. This process may be repeated a number of times at the same tissue region or at multiple tissue regions. - In desirably positioning the assembly at various regions within the patient body, a number of articulation and manipulation controls may be utilized. For example, as shown in the
articulatable imaging assembly 40 inFIG. 3A , one or more push-pull wires 42 may be routed throughdeployment catheter 16 for steering the distal end portion of the device invarious directions 46 to desirably position theimaging hood 12 adjacent to a region of tissue to be visualized. Depending upon the positioning and the number of push-pull wires 42 utilized,deployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 may be articulated into any number ofconfigurations 44. The push-pull wire orwires 42 may be articulated via their proximal ends from outside the patient body manually utilizing one or more controls. Alternatively,deployment catheter 16 may be articulated by computer control, as further described below. - Additionally or alternatively, an
articulatable delivery catheter 48, which may be articulated via one or more push-pull wires and having an imaging lumen and one or more working lumens, may be delivered through thedeployment catheter 16 and intoimaging hood 12. With a distal portion ofarticulatable delivery catheter 48 withinimaging hood 12, the clear displacing fluid may be pumped throughdelivery catheter 48 ordeployment catheter 16 to clear the field withinimaging hood 12. As shown inFIG. 3B , thearticulatable delivery catheter 48 may be articulated within the imaging hood to obtain a better image of tissue adjacent to theimaging hood 12. Moreover,articulatable delivery catheter 48 may be articulated to direct an instrument or tool passed through thecatheter 48, as described in detail below, to specific areas of tissue imaged throughimaging hood 12 without having to repositiondeployment catheter 16 and re-clear the imaging field withinhood 12. - Alternatively, rather than passing an
articulatable delivery catheter 48 through thedeployment catheter 16, a distal portion of thedeployment catheter 16 itself may comprise adistal end 49 which is articulatable withinimaging hood 12, as shown inFIG. 3C . Directed imaging, instrument delivery, etc., may be accomplished directly through one or more lumens withindeployment catheter 16 to specific regions of the underlying tissue imaged withinimaging hood 12. - Visualization within the
imaging hood 12 may be accomplished through animaging lumen 20 defined throughdeployment catheter 16, as described above. In such a configuration, visualization is available in a straight-line manner, i.e., images are generated from the field distally along a longitudinal axis defined by thedeployment catheter 16. Alternatively or additionally, an articulatable imaging assembly having apivotable support member 50 may be connected to, mounted to, or otherwise passed throughdeployment catheter 16 to provide for visualization off-axis relative to the longitudinal axis defined bydeployment catheter 16, as shown inFIG. 4A .Support member 50 may have animaging element 52, e.g., a CCD or CMOS imager or optical fiber, attached at its distal end with its proximal end connected todeployment catheter 16 via apivoting connection 54. - If one or more optical fibers are utilized for imaging, the
optical fibers 58 may be passed throughdeployment catheter 16, as shown in the cross-section ofFIG. 4B , and routed through thesupport member 50. The use ofoptical fibers 58 may provide for increased diameter sizes of the one orseveral lumens 56 throughdeployment catheter 16 for the passage of diagnostic and/or therapeutic tools therethrough. Alternatively, electronic chips, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a CMOS imager, which are typically known, may be utilized in place of theoptical fibers 58, in which case the electronic imager may be positioned in the distal portion of thedeployment catheter 16 with electric wires being routed proximally through thedeployment catheter 16. Alternatively, the electronic imagers may be wirelessly coupled to a receiver for the wireless transmission of images. Additional optical fibers or light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be used to provide lighting for the image or operative theater, as described below in further detail.Support member 50 may be pivoted viaconnection 54 such that themember 50 can be positioned in a low-profile configuration within channel or groove 60 defined in a distal portion ofcatheter 16, as shown in the cross-section ofFIG. 4C . During intravascular delivery ofdeployment catheter 16 through the patient body,support member 50 can be positioned within channel or groove 60 withimaging hood 12 also in its low-profile configuration. During visualization,imaging hood 12 may be expanded into its deployed configuration andsupport member 50 may be deployed into its off-axis configuration for imaging the tissue adjacent tohood 12, as inFIG. 4A . Other configurations forsupport member 50 for off-axis visualization may be utilized, as desired. -
FIG. 5 shows an illustrative cross-sectional view of a heart H having tissue regions of interest being viewed via animaging assembly 10. In this example,delivery catheter assembly 70 may be introduced percutaneously into the patient's vasculature and advanced through the superior vena cava SVC and into the right atrium RA. The delivery catheter orsheath 72 may be articulated through the atrial septum AS and into the left atrium LA for viewing or treating the tissue, e.g., the annulus A, surrounding the mitral valve MV. As shown,deployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 may be advanced out ofdelivery catheter 72 and brought into contact or in proximity to the tissue region of interest. In other examples,delivery catheter assembly 70 may be advanced through the inferior vena cava IVC, if so desired. Moreover, other regions of the heart H, e.g., the right ventricle RV or left ventricle LV, may also be accessed and imaged or treated by imagingassembly 10. - In accessing regions of the heart H or other parts of the body, the delivery catheter or
sheath 14 may comprise a conventional intra-vascular catheter or an endoluminal delivery device. Alternatively, robotically-controlled delivery catheters may also be optionally utilized with the imaging assembly described herein, in which case a computer-controller 74 may be used to control the articulation and positioning of thedelivery catheter 14. An example of a robotically-controlled delivery catheter which may be utilized is described in further detail in US Pat. Pub. 2002/0087169 A1 to Brock et al. entitled “Flexible Instrument”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other robotically-controlled delivery catheters manufactured by Hansen Medical, Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) may also be utilized with the delivery catheter .14. - To facilitate stabilization of the
deployment catheter 16 during a procedure, one or more inflatable balloons or anchors 76 may be positioned along the length ofcatheter 16, as shown inFIG. 6A . For example, when utilizing a trans-septal approach across the atrial septum AS into the left atrium LA, theinflatable balloons 76 may be inflated from a low-profile into their expanded configuration to temporarily anchor or stabilize thecatheter 16 position relative to the heart H.FIG. 6B shows afirst balloon 78 inflated whileFIG. 6C also shows asecond balloon 80 inflated proximal to thefirst balloon 78. In such a configuration, the septal wall AS may be wedged or sandwiched between theballoons catheter 16 andimaging hood 12. Asingle balloon 78 or bothballoons balloon assembly 76 may be deflated or re-configured into a low-profile for removal of thedeployment catheter 16. - To further stabilize a position of the
imaging hood 12 relative to a tissue surface to be imaged, various anchoring mechanisms may be optionally employed for temporarily holding theimaging hood 12 against the tissue. Such anchoring mechanisms may be particularly useful for imaging tissue which is subject to movement, e.g., when imaging tissue within the chambers of a beating heart. Atool delivery catheter 82 having at least one instrument lumen and an optional visualization lumen may be delivered throughdeployment catheter 16 and into an expandedimaging hood 12. As theimaging hood 12 is brought into contact against a tissue surface T to be examined, an anchoring mechanisms such as a helicaltissue piercing device 84 may be passed through thetool delivery catheter 82, as shown inFIG. 7A , and intoimaging hood 12. - The helical
tissue engaging device 84 may be torqued from its proximal end outside the patient body to temporarily anchor itself into the underlying tissue surface T. Once embedded within the tissue T, the helicaltissue engaging device 84 may be pulled proximally relative todeployment catheter 16 while thedeployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 are pushed distally, as indicated by the arrows inFIG. 7B , to gently force the contact edge orlip 22 of imaging hood against the tissue T. The positioning of thetissue engaging device 84 may be locked temporarily relative to thedeployment catheter 16 to ensure secure positioning of theimaging hood 12 during a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure within theimaging hood 12. After a procedure,tissue engaging device 84 may be disengaged from the tissue by torquing its proximal end in the opposite direction to remove the anchor form the tissue T and thedeployment catheter 16 may be repositioned to another region of tissue where the anchoring process may be repeated or removed from the patient body. Thetissue engaging device 84 may also be constructed from other known tissue engaging devices such as vacuum-assisted engagement or grasper-assisted engagement tools, among others. - Although a
helical anchor 84 is shown, this is intended to be illustrative and other types of temporary anchors may be utilized, e.g., hooked or barbed anchors, graspers, etc. Moreover, thetool delivery catheter 82 may be omitted entirely and the anchoring device may be delivered directly through a lumen defined through thedeployment catheter 16. - In another variation where the
tool delivery catheter 82 may be omitted entirely to temporarily anchorimaging hood 12,FIG. 7C shows animaging hood 12 having one or moretubular support members 86, e.g., foursupport members 86 as shown, integrated with theimaging hood 12. Thetubular support members 86 may define lumens therethrough each having helicaltissue engaging devices 88 positioned within. When an expandedimaging hood 12 is to be temporarily anchored to the tissue, the helicaltissue engaging devices 88 may be urged distally to extend from imaginghood 12 and each may be torqued from its proximal end to engage the underlying tissue T. Each of the helicaltissue engaging devices 88 may be advanced through the length ofdeployment catheter 16 or they may be positioned withintubular support members 86 during the delivery and deployment ofimaging hood 12. Once the procedure withinimaging hood 12 is finished, each of thetissue engaging devices 88 may be disengaged from the tissue and theimaging hood 12 may be repositioned to another region of tissue or removed from the patient body. - An illustrative example is shown in
FIG. 8A of a tissue imaging assembly connected to a fluid delivery system 90 and to an optional processor 98 and image recorder and/orviewer 100. The fluid delivery system 90 may generally comprise apump 92 and anoptional valve 94 for controlling the flow rate of the fluid into the system. Afluid reservoir 96, fluidly connected to pump 92, may hold the fluid to be pumped throughimaging hood 12. An optional central processing unit or processor 98 may be in electrical communication with fluid delivery system 90 for controlling flow parameters such as the flow rate and/or velocity of the pumped fluid. The processor 98 may also be in electrical communication with an image recorder and/orviewer 100 for directly viewing the images of tissue received from withinimaging hood 12. Imager recorder and/orviewer 100 may also be used not only to record the image but also the location of the viewed tissue region, if so desired. - Optionally, processor 98 may also be utilized to coordinate the fluid flow and the image capture. For instance, processor 98 may be programmed to provide for fluid flow from
reservoir 96 until the tissue area has been displaced of blood to obtain a clear image. Once the image has been determined to be sufficiently clear, either visually by a practitioner or by computer, an image of the tissue may be captured automatically byrecorder 100 and pump 92 may be automatically stopped or slowed by processor 98 to cease the fluid flow into the patient. Other variations for fluid delivery and image capture are, of course, possible and the aforementioned configuration is intended only to be illustrative and not limiting. -
FIG. 8B shows a further illustration of a hand-held variation of the fluid delivery andtissue manipulation system 110. In this variation,system 110 may have a housing or handleassembly 112 which can be held or manipulated by the physician from outside the patient body. Thefluid reservoir 114, shown in this variation as a syringe, can be fluidly coupled to thehandle assembly 112 and actuated via apumping mechanism 116, e.g., lead screw.Fluid reservoir 114 may be a simple reservoir separated from thehandle assembly 112 and fluidly coupled to handleassembly 112 via one or more tubes. The fluid flow rate and other mechanisms may be metered by theelectronic controller 118. - Deployment of
imaging hood 12 may be actuated by ahood deployment switch 120 located on thehandle assembly 112 while dispensation of the fluid fromreservoir 114 may be actuated by afluid deployment switch 122, which can be electrically coupled to thecontroller 118.Controller 118 may also be electrically coupled to a wired orwireless antenna 124 optionally integrated with thehandle assembly 112, as shown in the figure. Thewireless antenna 124 can be used to wirelessly transmit images captured from theimaging hood 12 to a receiver, e.g., via Bluetooth® wireless technology (Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Bellevue, Wash.), RF, etc., for viewing on amonitor 128 or for recording for later viewing. - Articulation control of the
deployment catheter 16, or a delivery catheter orsheath 14 through which thedeployment catheter 16 may be delivered, may be accomplished by computer control, as described above, in which case an additional controller may be utilized withhandle assembly 112. In the case of manual articulation, handleassembly 112 may incorporate one or more articulation controls 126 for manual manipulation of the position ofdeployment catheter 16.Handle assembly 112 may also define one ormore instrument ports 130 through which a number of intravascular tools may be passed for tissue manipulation and treatment withinimaging hood 12, as described further below. Furthermore, in certain procedures, fluid or debris may be sucked intoimaging hood 12 for evacuation from the patient body by optionally fluidly coupling a suction pump 132 to handleassembly 112 or directly todeployment catheter 16. - As described above, fluid may be pumped continuously into
imaging hood 12 to provide for clear viewing of the underlying tissue. Alternatively, fluid may be pumped temporarily or sporadically only until a clear view of the tissue is available to be imaged and recorded, at which point the fluid flow may cease and the blood may be allowed to seep or flow back intoimaging hood 12.FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate an example of capturing several images of the tissue at multiple regions.Deployment catheter 16 may be desirably positioned andimaging hood 12 deployed and brought into position against a region of tissue to be imaged, in this example the tissue surrounding a mitral valve MV within the left atrium of a patient's heart. Theimaging hood 12 may be optionally anchored to the tissue, as described above, and then cleared by pumping the imaging fluid into thehood 12. Once sufficiently clear, the tissue may be visualized and the image captured bycontrol electronics 118. The first capturedimage 140 may be stored and/or transmitted wirelessly 124 to amonitor 128 for viewing by the physician, as shown inFIG. 9A . - The
deployment catheter 16 may be then repositioned to an adjacent portion of mitral valve MV, as shown inFIG. 9B , where the process may be repeated to capture asecond image 142 for viewing and/or recording. Thedeployment catheter 16 may again be repositioned to another region of tissue, as shown inFIG. 9C , where athird image 144 may be captured for viewing and/or recording. This procedure may be repeated as many times as necessary for capturing a comprehensive image of the tissue surrounding mitral valve MV, or any other tissue region. When thedeployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 is repositioned from tissue region to tissue region, the pump may be stopped during positioning and blood or surrounding fluid may be allowed to enter withinimaging hood 12 until the tissue is to be imaged, where theimaging hood 12 may be cleared, as above. - As mentioned above, when the
imaging hood 12 is cleared by pumping the imaging fluid within for clearing the blood or other bodily fluid, the fluid may be pumped continuously to maintain the imaging fluid within thehood 12 at a positive pressure or it may be pumped under computer control for slowing or stopping the fluid flow into thehood 12 upon detection of various parameters or until a clear image of the underlying tissue is obtained. Thecontrol electronics 118 may also be programmed to coordinate the fluid flow into theimaging hood 12 with various physical parameters to maintain a clear image withinimaging hood 12. - One example is shown in
FIG. 10A which shows achart 150 illustrating how fluid pressure within theimaging hood 12 may be coordinated with the surrounding blood pressure. Chart 150 shows thecyclical blood pressure 156 alternating betweendiastolic pressure 152 andsystolic pressure 154 over time T due to the beating motion of the patient heart. The fluid pressure of the imaging fluid, indicated byplot 160, withinimaging hood 12 may be automatically timed to correspond to the blood pressure changes 160 such that an increased pressure is maintained withinimaging hood 12 which is consistently above theblood pressure 156 by a slight increase ΔP, as illustrated by the pressure difference at the peaksystolic pressure 158. This pressure difference, ΔP, may be maintained withinimaging hood 12 over the pressure variance of the surrounding blood pressure to maintain a positive imaging fluid pressure withinimaging hood 12 to maintain a clear view of the underlying tissue. One benefit of maintaining a constant ΔP is a constant flow and maintenance of a clear field. -
FIG. 10B shows a chart 162 illustrating another variation for maintaining a clear view of the underlying tissue where one or more sensors within theimaging hood 12, as described in further detail below, may be configured to sense pressure changes within theimaging hood 12 and to correspondingly increase the imaging fluid pressure withinimaging hood 12. This may result in a time delay, ΔT, as illustrated by the shiftedfluid pressure 160 relative to thecycling blood pressure 156, although the time delay ΔT may be negligible in maintaining the clear image of the underlying tissue. Predictive software algorithms can also be used to substantially eliminate this time delay by predicting when the next pressure wave peak will arrive and by increasing the pressure ahead of the pressure wave's arrival by an amount of time equal to the aforementioned time delay to essentially cancel the time delay out. - The variations in fluid pressure within
imaging hood 12 may be accomplished in part due to the nature ofimaging hood 12. An inflatable balloon, which is conventionally utilized for imaging tissue, may be affected by the surrounding blood pressure changes. On the other hand, animaging hood 12 retains a constant volume therewithin and is structurally unaffected by the surrounding blood pressure changes, thus allowing for pressure increases therewithin. The material thathood 12 is made from may also contribute to the manner in which the pressure is modulated within thishood 12. A stiffer hood material, such as high durometer polyurethane or Nylon, may facilitate the maintaining of an open hood when deployed. On the other hand, a relatively lower durometer or softer material, such as a low durometer PVC or polyurethane, may collapse from the surrounding fluid pressure and may not adequately maintain a deployed or expanded hood. - With respect to variations in fluid pressure within
imaging hood 12, pressure and/or flow rate of the purging fluid injected intohood 12 may be controlled by the user manually or automatically. For instance, the user may simply actuate a control such that the fluid injects intohood 12 at a pre-set flow rate, which may be linear or non-linear. In other variations, the user may control the flow rate by controlling the degree of actuation. As illustrated inFIG. 11 A,user 170 may depressactuator 172, in this variation configured as a foot pedal or foot switch which may be depressed anywhere from an initial position A to a fully depressed position B. Depending upon the controller connected toactuator 172, theuser 170 may depress the switch some distance d to increase flow rate. As mentioned, the flow rate may be pre-set to inject the fluid along alinear rate 180 or any variation ofnon-linear rates 182 184, e.g., exponential, logarithmic, etc., as shown in the exemplary plot inFIG. 11B . - Aside from controlling the fluid purging rate,
hood 12 may be configured in other variations to effect alternative procedures. For instance,FIGS. 12A to 12C illustrates one variation wherehood 12 may be configured to have apullwire 192 passed around the circumference orlip 194 of thehood 12 to aid in capturing debris, such as emboli, tissue, etc., which may be errant in the surrounding blood.Pullwire 192 may be passed throughcatheter 16 and through an incompressible lumened structure such ascoiled body 190 and around thehood 12, as shown inFIG. 12A . Withhood 12 deployed,errant debris 198 may be visualized, as above, and captured within opening 196 ofhood 12, as shown inFIG. 12B . Withdebris 198 disposed withinhood 12, pullwire 192 may be actuated and pulled proximally to collapse the circumference orlip 194 of thehood 12 to securely trapdebris 198 within, as shown inFIG. 12C .Deployment catheter 16 andhood 12 may then be withdrawn from the body to safely removedebris 198. - In another variation,
deployment catheter 16 andhood 12 may also be utilized to visualizedebris 204, such as blood clots, etc., utilizing the fluid displacement described herein, in various regions of the body, such as the chambers of the heart like the left ventricle LV, as shown inFIG. 13 . The apex AP of the heart is also illustrated for reference. In this variation,hood 12 may be used to purge the opaque blood from the region to visualizedebris 204 which may be lodged within the chamber. Once directly visualized, an instrument such as a biopsy instrument or thrombectomy-type catheter 200 having anopening 202 may be advanced into proximity to or directly against thedebris 204 where it may be actuated to begin extraction and removal of the debris. - To facilitate use of the devices for any of the procedures described herein,
hood 12 may be integrated with one or moreangled projections 214 extending distally fromhood 12, as shown inFIG. 14 . Oncehood 12 is contacted against a tissue region,projections 214 may be engaged into the tissue by rotatingcatheter shaft 16 to temporarily secure thehood 12 against the tissue surface. Disengagement may be accomplished by simply rotatingcatheter shaft 16 in the opposite direction. -
Catheter shaft 16 may also additionally incorporate aguidewire exchange lumen 212 defined alongcatheter 16 proximally ofhood 12.Lumen 212 may allow for the rapid exchange of devices, including thecatheter 16 andhood 12, during an interventional procedure when utilized withguidewire 210. - In yet another variation for utilizing the
deployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12, thecatheter 16 may be used to facilitate the crossing of tissue regions, e.g., through an atrial-septal defect (ASD) or patent foramen ovale (PFO) or through an artificially-created opening or fistula, for accessing other body lumens. As illustrated inFIGS. 15A to 15D ,deployment catheter 16 andhood 12 may be articulated to identify a region of tissue, such as the atrial-septal wall AS having a septal defect such asPFO 220. Once identified, an optionalouter catheter sheath 222 may be advanced distally overdeployment catheter 16 andhood 12 to retract thehood 12 into its low-profile configuration, as shown inFIG. 15B . Then, utilizing an optional guidewire or by simply urging thesheath 222 anddeployment catheter 16 distally through theopening 220, as shown inFIG. 15C , thedeployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 may be penetrated to access the opposite body lumen. Once the distal opening ofsheath 222 is cleared ofopening 220,deployment catheter 16 andimaging hood 12 may be projected fromsheath 222 to allow theimaging hood 12 to redeploy into its expanded configuration, as shown inFIG. 15D . - When imaging through
hood 12, saline may be infused into thehood 12 to purge the blood and allow for direct visualization of the underlying tissue, as described above. In certain procedures requiring extended periods of time, another variation of the visualization device may be utilized to prevent excessive amounts of saline from being infused into a patient body. One variation is illustrated inFIG. 16 , which showsimaging hood 12 disposed upon the end of adeployment catheter 230 configured to draw blood which may be infused with excessive amounts of saline intoentry ports 232 defined alongcatheter shaft 230. The drawn blood may be passed proximally throughcatheter 230 throughlumen 236, which may be fluidly coupled to apump 242, such as a peristaltic pump, located in filteringassembly 240. The withdrawn diluted blood may be passed throughfilter 244, where excess water or saline may be extracted via aquaphoresis. The filtered blood may then be pumped back throughcatheter 230 vialumen 238 and out through one ormore exit ports 234, where the blood may be re-infused back into the patient body to maintain the fluid balance of the patient. - The applications of the disclosed invention discussed above are not limited to certain treatments or regions of the body, but may include any number of other treatments and areas of the body. Modification of the above-described methods and devices for carrying out the invention, and variations of aspects of the invention that are obvious to those of skill in the arts are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. Moreover, various combinations of aspects between examples are also contemplated and are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure as well.
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