US 12,004,707 B2
Airway visualization system
Bryan I. Hartley, Redwood City, CA (US); Norbert Pelc, Los Altos, CA (US); Dimitri Augustin, Los Altos, CA (US); Racquel Redwood, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Zach Wolf, Redwood City, CA (US); Benjamin Berkowitz, Palo Alto, CA (US); and Harmeet Bedi, Los Altos, CA (US)
Assigned to The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US)
Filed by The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/998,278.
Application 16/998,278 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2019/027949, filed on Apr. 17, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/737,793, filed on Sep. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/659,032, filed on Apr. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0375448 A1, Dec. 3, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/015 (2006.01); A61B 1/267 (2006.01); A61B 6/00 (2006.01); A61B 6/12 (2006.01); A61B 6/50 (2024.01)
CPC A61B 1/2676 (2013.01) [A61B 1/00082 (2013.01); A61B 1/015 (2013.01); A61B 6/12 (2013.01); A61B 6/487 (2013.01); A61B 6/50 (2013.01); A61B 6/541 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0247 (2013.01)] 83 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
14. A method of visualizing an airway within a subject, comprising:
positioning a delivery sheath through at least a portion of the airway and into proximity to a tissue region of interest within a lung;
manipulating a fluid flow through at least one lumen of the delivery sheath such that a pressure change is imparted within the airway sufficient to at least partially manipulate a diameter of the airway to reconfigure between an open resting configuration and a collapsed configuration such that a change in density of the airway is imparted while a remainder of the lung remains unaffected; and
obtaining an image of the airway via an imager while the position of the airway is manipulated.