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EP-4736777-A2 - DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR POSITIONING MEDICAL DEVICES WITHIN A BODY LUMEN

EP4736777A2EP 4736777 A2EP4736777 A2EP 4736777A2EP-4736777-A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus, comprising an elongate member comprising an outer surface, a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one articulation joint disposed between the proximal end and the distal end, a lumen having a first opening proximate the proximal end of the elongate member and a second opening proximate the distal end of the elongate member, a first transducer comprising a phased array sensor disposed proximate the distal end of the elongate member, and a second transducer comprising a position tracking sensor.

Inventors

  • TRUE, KYLE
  • FOSTER, Daniel J
  • SACHS, Dana
  • HERZBERG, ALICE

Assignees

  • Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220406

Claims (15)

  1. An apparatus, comprising: an elongate member comprising an outer surface, a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one articulation joint disposed between the proximal end and the distal end; a lumen having a first opening proximate the proximal end of the elongate member and a second opening proximate the distal end of the elongate member; a first transducer comprising a phased array sensor disposed proximate the distal end of the elongate member; and a second transducer comprising a position tracking sensor.
  2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a field of view for the phased array sensor extends from the outer surface of the elongate member.
  3. The apparatus of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the position tracking sensor comprises a magnetic tunnel junction.
  4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the position tracking sensor includes an electromagnetic position sensor, preferably an inductive sensor or a tunnel-magnetoresistance (TMR) sensor.
  5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position tracking sensor is configured for being utilized to navigate the distal end of the elongate member to a target site.
  6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one articulation joint is utilized to maneuver the elongated member and enable navigation to the target site based on the position tracking sensor.
  7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the apparatus further comprises a controller, the controller utilizing pre-operative images in conjunction with feedback from the position tracking sensor to provide guidance for navigating the target site.
  8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a third transducer including an optical imaging sensor.
  9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third transducers is mounted on a flexible circuit board.
  10. The apparatus of any of claims 8 or 9, wherein a field of view for the optical imaging sensor extends from the distal end of the elongate member.
  11. The apparatus of any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the optical imaging sensor is mounted on the distal end of the elongate member.
  12. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the elongate member further comprises a transducer for forward imaging.
  13. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein a plurality of electromagnetic position sensors is disposed along the length of the elongate member.
  14. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein a position sensing transducer is in one of at least two sections of the elongate member separated by the at least one articulation joint to facilitate determining the movement or position of the sections with respect to each other, preferably by the controller.
  15. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein a first portion of the phased array sensor is disposed proximal of the second opening of the lumen and a second portion of the phased array sensor is disposed distal of the second opening of the lumen.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of and priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 63/171,198, filed April 6, 2021 and titled DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR POSITIONING MEDICAL DEVICES WITHIN A BODY LUMEN, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods to facilitate positioning an elongate member at a target site within a body lumen. BACKGROUND A variety of medical devices are positioned within a body lumen for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. For example, an endoscopy is a procedure using an endoscope to look inside a body. Typically, an endoscopy procedure utilizes an elongate member (e.g., an endoscope) to access, examine, or interact with the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of a body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. The endoscope typically has direct visualization for viewing inside the body and/or may be equipped with ultrasound view capability. Such scopes have a profile diameter that allow the scope to be inserted into larger body lumens (e.g., GI tract or trachea) of a certain diameter. For example, one type of endoscope, a bronchoscope can be used for visualizing the inside of the airways, up to a certain generation of airway having a diameter that can accommodate the diameter of the bronchoscope, for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The bronchoscope is inserted into the airways, such as through a mouth, nose, or tracheostomy. This may allow the practitioner to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Sometimes a biopsy may be taken from inside the lungs. At a certain higher generations of airways, the diameter of the airway becomes too narrow to accommodate conventional endoscopes, which presents the challenge for improved devices having means to accurately navigate, locate, and biopsy tissue within these smaller airways or within other lumens of minimal diameter. BRIEF SUMMARY This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to necessarily identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus, comprising an elongate member, a lumen, and a first transducer. The elongate member may include an outer surface, a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one articulation joint disposed between the proximal end of the distal end. The lumen may have a first opening proximate the proximal end of the elongate member and a second opening proximate the distal end of the elongate member. The first transducer may include a phased array sensor disposed proximate the distal end of the elongate member. In some embodiments, a field of view of the phased array sensor extends from the outer surface of the elongate member. In various embodiments, the second opening of the lumen is disposed in the outer surface of the elongate member. In various such embodiments, the lumen includes a ramp configured to direct an instrument into a field of view of the phased array sensor when the instrument extends through the lumen and out of the second opening of the lumen. In some such embodiments, the ramp includes a multiple-radius bend. Many embodiments include a second transducer including a position tracking sensor. In many such embodiments, the position tracking sensor comprises a magnetic tunnel junction. Some such embodiments include a third transducer including an optical imaging sensor. In various further such embodiments, at least one of the first, second, and third transducers is mounted on a flexible circuit board. Several embodiments include a second transducer including an optical imaging sensor. In several such embodiments, a field of view for the phased array sensor extends from the outer surface of the elongate member and a field of view for the optical imaging sensor extends from the distal end of the elongate member. In some such embodiments, the optical imaging sensor is mounted on the distal end of the elongate member. In various embodiments, the at least one articulation joint comprises a first articulation joint and a second articulation joint, wherein a direction of articulation of the first articulation joint is orthogonal to a direction of articulation of the second articulation joint. In many embodiments, the at least one articulation joint comprising a first articulation joint and a second articulation joint, wherein the second opening of the lumen is disposed between the first and second articulation joints. In some embodiments, a first portion of the phased array sensor is disposed proximal of the second