| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080221439 | Tools for use with moving organs - A sensor senses a phase of cyclic activity of a portion of a subject's body. A control unit, in a first cycle of the cyclic activity, moves a portion of a tool, in a given direction, in response to the sensor sensing that the cyclic activity is at a first given phase thereof. The control unit, following the given phase and prior to an occurrence of the given phase in a subsequent cycle, inhibits the tool's movement. The control unit in a second cycle, subsequent to the inhibiting, moves the tool in the given direction, in response to the sensor sensing that the second cycle is at the given phase, without moving the tool in an opposite direction, between (a) moving the tool in the given direction in the first cycle, and (b) moving the tool in the given direction in the second cycle. Other embodiments are also described. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20080221440 | Imaging and tools for use with moving organs - Apparatus is described for use with a portion of a subject's body that moves as a result of cyclic activity of a body system. An imaging device acquires a plurality of image frames of the portion. A sensor senses a phase of the cyclic activity. A medical tool performs a function with respect to the portion. A control unit generates a stabilized set of image frames of the medical tool disposed within the portion, actuates the tool to perform the function or move, in response to the sensor sensing that the cyclic activity is at a given phase thereof, and inhibits the tool from performing the action or moving in response to the sensor sensing that the cyclic activity is not at the given phase. A display facilitates use of the tool by displaying the stabilized set of image frames. Other embodiments are also described. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20080221442 | Imaging for use with moving organs - Apparatus is described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that moves as a result of cyclic activity of a body system of the subject and that also undergoes additional motion. An imaging device acquires a plurality of image frames of the portion. A sensor senses a phase of the cyclic activity of the body system. A control unit generates a stabilized set of image frames of the portion by identifying a given phase of the cyclic activity, and outputting a set of the image frames corresponding to image frames of the portion acquired during the given phase, and by image tracking at least the set of image frames to reduce imaged motion of the portion associated with the additional motion. A display displays the stabilized set of image frames of the portion. Other embodiments are also described. | 09-11-2008 |
| 20090306547 | STEPWISE ADVANCEMENT OF A MEDICAL TOOL - Apparatus is provided, including a sensor for sensing a phase of cyclic activity of a subject's body system. A tool modulator includes a gate configured:
| 12-10-2009 |
| 20100041949 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR PERFORMING MEDICAL PROCEDURES IN TREE-LIKE LUMINAL STRUCTURES - Apparatus is described for use with an imaging device ( | 02-18-2010 |
| 20100157041 | AUTOMATIC STABILIZATION OF AN IMAGE STREAM OF A MOVING ORGAN - Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a tool inside a portion of a subject's body that undergoes motion. A plurality of image frames are acquired of the portion of the subject's body. The image frames are image tracked by (a) automatically identifying at least a feature of the tool in at least a portion of the image frames, and (b) aligning the tool in image frames of the portion of the image frames, based on the automatic identifying. The image-tracked image frames of the portion of the subject's body are displayed as an image stream. Other embodiments are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100160764 | AUTOMATIC GENERATION AND UTILIZATION OF A VASCULAR ROADMAP - Apparatus and methods are described for receiving into at least one processor a set of images of blood vessels of a subject. A road map of the subject's blood vessels is generated, by automatically (a) deriving at least one image from the set of images of the blood vessels, based upon visibility of at least a portion of the blood vessels in the set of images, and (b) in the derived image, determining a location of edge lines of at least some of the portion of the blood vessels in the image. An output is generated by the processor, based on the road map. Other embodiments are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100160773 | AUTOMATIC QUANTITATIVE VESSEL ANALYSIS AT THE LOCATION OF AN AUTOMATICALLY-DETECTED TOOL - Apparatus and methods are described including inserting a tool into a blood vessel, and, while the tool is within the blood vessel, acquiring an extraluminal image of the blood vessel. In the extraluminal image of the blood vessel, a location of a portion of the tool with respect to the blood vessel is detected automatically. In response to detecting the location of the portion of the tool, a target portion of the blood vessel that is in a vicinity of the portion of the tool is designated automatically. Using the extraluminal image, quantitative vessel analysis is performed on the target portion of the blood vessel. Other embodiments are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100161022 | PRE-DEPLOYMENT POSITIONING OF AN IMPLANTABLE DEVICE WITHIN A MOVING ORGAN - Apparatus and methods are described for deploying an implantable tool at an implantation location of a blood vessel. The tool is placed at the implantation location in a non-deployed configuration. A plurality of image frames are acquired of the non-deployed tool at the implantation location, during respective phases of the vessel's motion cycle. A stabilized image stream is generated of the non-deployed tool at the implantation location. It is determined based upon the stabilized image stream of the non-deployed tool that, during the vessel's motion cycle, the tool moves from the implantation location by a given distance in a first direction. Movement of the tool by the given distance is accounted for, by deploying the tool at a deployment location that is distant from the implantation location in the opposite direction to the first direction. Other embodiments are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100161023 | AUTOMATIC TRACKING OF A TOOL UPON A VASCULAR ROADMAP - Apparatus and methods are described including generating a road map of a blood vessel in a portion of a subject's body. A given feature that is within the portion of the subject's body is identified in the road map, the given feature being visible even in images of the portion the generation of which does not include use of a contrast agent. A tool is inserted into the blood vessel, and a current location of a portion of the tool is determined with respect to the given feature, by imaging the tool and the feature. In response to the determined current location, a current position of the tool within the road map is determined. In response to determining the current position of the tool within the road map, the current position of the tool with respect to the road map is displayed. Other embodiments are also described. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100171819 | AUTOMATIC REDUCTION OF INTERFERING ELEMENTS FROM AN IMAGE STREAM OF A MOVING ORGAN - Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes a motion cycle. A plurality of image frames of the portion are acquired. The image frames are enhanced with respect to a first given feature of the image frames, by (a) image tracking the image frames with respect to the first given feature, (b) identifying a second given feature in each of the image frames, and (c) in response to the identifying, reducing visibility of the second given feature in the image frames. The image frames that (a) have been image tracked with respect to the first given feature, and (b) have had reduced therein the visibility of the second given feature, are displayed as a stream of image frames. Other embodiments are also described. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100172556 | AUTOMATIC ENHANCEMENT OF AN IMAGE STREAM OF A MOVING ORGAN - Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion. A plurality of image frames of the portion are acquired. A stream of image frames is generated in which a vicinity of a given feature of the image frames is enhanced, by (a) automatically identifying the given feature in each of the image frames, (b) aligning the given feature in two or more of the image frames, (c) averaging sets of two or more of the aligned frames to generate a plurality of averaged image frames, and (d) displaying as a stream of image frames the plurality of averaged image frames. Other embodiments are also described. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20100191102 | AUTOMATIC CORRECTION AND UTILIZATION OF A VASCULAR ROADMAP COMPRISING A TOOL - Apparatus and methods are described including generating a road map of a blood vessel. Subsequent to the generation of the road map, a tool is inserted into the blood vessel. While the tool is inside the blood vessel, the position of the tool is determined. The road map is modified to account for the determined position of the tool. Other embodiments are also described. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100220917 | AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF A VASCULAR SKELETON - Apparatus and methods are described for receiving into at least one processor at least one image of blood vessels of a subject. Using image processing, discontinuous lines that correspond to paths of at least a portion of the blood vessels in the image are automatically derived, the lines having end points at discontinuities in the lines. Continuous lines that correspond to the paths of the portion of the blood vessels in the image are automatically generated by bridging the discontinuities in the discontinuous lines. An output is generated by the processor, based on the continuous lines. Other embodiments are also described. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100228076 | CONTROLLED ACTUATION AND DEPLOYMENT OF A MEDICAL DEVICE - Apparatus is described including a sensor that senses a phase of cyclic motion of a portion of a subject's body. During a first phase of a first cycle of the cyclic motion, a tool modulator does not to facilitate movement of a tool with respect to the portion. Subsequent to the first phase, in response to the sensor sensing that the first cycle is at a second phase thereof, the modulator facilitates movement of the tool. In a cycle subsequent to the first cycle, the modulator facilitates movement of the tool, during the entire subsequent cycle. During the first phase of the first cycle, an accumulation-facilitator facilitates an accumulation of energy in the accumulation-facilitator. An accumulation-inhibitor inhibits accumulation of energy in the accumulation-facilitator during the subsequent cycle, by actively inhibiting movement of at least a portion of the accumulation-facilitator. Other embodiments are also described. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100290693 | LOCATION-SENSITIVE CURSOR CONTROL AND ITS USE FOR VESSEL ANALYSIS - Apparatus and methods are provided, including displaying an image of one or more lumens of a subject. A processor includes lumen-identification functionality configured to automatically identify one or more lumens in the image. Envelope-designation functionality of the processor designates as lumen envelopes, portions of the image in vicinities of respective lumens. In response to the user designating a location inside a lumen envelope of a given lumen, via an input device, the location corresponding to a given longitudinal location within the given lumen, feature-generation functionality of the processor generates a feature on the image that corresponds to the given longitudinal location. An output is displayed in response to the generated feature. Other embodiments are also described. | 11-18-2010 |
