US 11,925,452 B2
System and method for lung visualization using ultrasound
Joseph D. Brannan, Lyons, CO (US); William J. Dickhans, Longmont, CO (US); Casey M. Ladtkow, Erie, CO (US); and Darion R. Peterson, Longmont, CO (US)
Assigned to Covidien LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed by COVIDIEN LP, Mansfield, MA (US)
Filed on Oct. 15, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/159,895.
Application 16/159,895 is a continuation of application No. 14/469,718, filed on Aug. 27, 2014, granted, now 10,098,565.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/041,850, filed on Aug. 26, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/041,842, filed on Aug. 26, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/874,881, filed on Sep. 6, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2019/0046070 A1, Feb. 14, 2019
Int. Cl. A61B 5/06 (2006.01); A61B 1/267 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/113 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/12 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/062 (2013.01) [A61B 1/267 (2013.01); A61B 5/113 (2013.01); A61B 5/7207 (2013.01); A61B 8/12 (2013.01); A61B 8/4254 (2013.01); A61B 8/5238 (2013.01); A61B 8/08 (2013.01); A61B 8/463 (2013.01); A61B 8/467 (2013.01); A61B 8/5261 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A lung visualization system using ultrasound (US) imaging, the lung visualization system comprising:
a memory storing a first three dimensional (3D) model of a luminal network of a lung;
an electromagnetic (EM) board configured to generate an EM field;
a first catheter configured to navigate the luminal network toward a target;
a second catheter configured to be inserted through the first catheter;
an EM sensor configured to sense the EM field;
an US transducer configured to transmit US waves and generate US images based on the US waves reflected from the luminal network, the EM sensor positioned at a distal portion of one of the first and second catheters and the US transducer positioned at a distal portion of the other one of the first and second catheters;
a processor configured to:
process the sensed EM field to measure a travelling distance of the EM sensor;
scale the travelling distance so that the scaled distance is matched to a coordinate system of the first 3D model;
replace lower resolution portions of Computed Tomography (CT) image data from which the first 3D model was generated with the generated US images at a location of the US transducer based on the scaling of the travelling distance, yielding a modified CT image data;
generate a second 3D model from the modified CT image data, wherein the second 3D model has a higher resolution than the first 3D model; and
a display device configured to display the second 3D model.