Abstract: A system of navigating a magnetic medical device within that part of a patient located within an operating region of the system, the system comprising magnets, and preferably electromagnets, arranged to provide a magnetic field sufficient to navigate the magnetic medical device within the operating region. There are preferably three magnetic coils arranged in mutually perpendicular planes such that their axes intersect in the operating region. The magnetic coils are sized and arranged so that a patient can easily access the operating region to allow virtually any portion of the patient to be positioned within the operating region. The openness of the magnetic system allows access to the operating region by a bi-planer imaging system.

Abstract: A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device includes a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device, and a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement. The guide member can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field, or can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field when a magnetic medical device is in the passage, and/or it can be mechanically responsive.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for locating a magnetic implant in a surgical application using the field of a source magnet for the implant guiding field. The source magnet is an electromagnet having a separate calibrated magnetic field component in addition to the guiding field, so that both the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field as a function of position around the magnet are known. A magnetic implant is provided with a sensor, such as a three-axis Hall effect sensor, to provide an indication of the magnitude and orientation of an applied magnetic field when the implant is surgically implanted in a patient. After implantation, the source magnet is energized with a current having a modulated component. The modulated component is received and filtered from the signal received from the Hall effect sensor in the implant, and provided to a processor that computes the location of the implant.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A navigation system for minimally invasive surgery incorporating means of automatic electronic identification of automatically actuated flexible medical device characteristics, communication of such information to a navigation control system and its use in an automatic actuation system that is used to accurately control navigation of the flexible medical device within a patient's anatomy by the use of a physics-based model of flexible device response to automatically applied actuations in order to efficiently access specified regions targeted for therapy delivery.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device includes a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device, and a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement. The guide member can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field, or can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field when a magnetic medical device is in the passage, and/or it can be mechanically responsive.

Abstract: A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for locating a magnetic implant in a surgical application using the field of a source magnet for the implant guiding field. The source magnet is an electromagnet having a separate calibrated magnetic field component in addition to the guiding field, so that both the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field as a function of position around the magnet are known. A magnetic implant is provided with a sensor, such as a three-axis Hall effect sensor, to provide an indication of the magnitude and orientation of an applied magnetic field when the implant is surgically implanted in a patient. After implantation, the source magnet is energized with a current having a modulated component.

Abstract: A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device includes a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device, and a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement. The guide member can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field, or can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field when a magnetic medical device is in the passage, and/or it can be mechanically responsive.

Abstract: A device and a method for guiding or applying force to a magnetic implant within the body of a patient. The device includes a bed for support of the patient, a set of separately energizable electromagnets or separately controllable permanent magnets so arranged to produce magnetic fields of varying orientations in a treatment region of the patient, and a processor that controls the currents in the electromagnets, or shutters on the permanent magnets to produce a selected magnetic field and/or gradient for guiding or moving the implant. The magnets are configured to allow a medical imaging device to be used to provide a real-time display of an operating procedure in which magnetic guidance is used.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for displaying and using a shaped field of a repositionable magnet to move, guide, and/or steer a magnetic seed or catheter in living tissue for medicinal purposes. A moveable magnet assembly and a portion of a patient's body undergoing magnetically-aided surgery are both provided with fiducial markers. The portion of the patient's body is fixed in a location in which the fiducial markers are sensed and located by a set of localizers. The positions of the fiducial markers are determined by a processor, which operates on a stored representation of the magnetic field of a magnet in the magnet assembly to provide a display of the present magnetic field of the magnet. This display may be superimposed over an MRI, X-ray or CAT image during surgery. The repositionable magnet can be an electromagnet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for locating a magnetic implant in a surgical application using the field of a source magnet for the implant guiding field. The source magnet is an electromagnet having a separate calibrated magnetic field component in addition to the guiding field, so that both the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field as a function of position around the magnet are known. A magnetic implant is provided with a sensor, such as a three-axis Hall effect sensor, to provide an indication of the magnitude and orientation of an applied magnetic field when the implant is surgically implanted in a patient. After implantation, the source magnet is energized with a current having a modulated component.

Abstract: A guide for controlling the orientation of a medical device includes a cannula having a lumen therein for the medical device, and a guide member having a passage therein for receiving and directing the medical device, the guide member being movably mounted in the cannula for movement. The guide member can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field, or can be magnetically responsive to an externally applied magnetic field when a magnetic medical device is in the passage, and/or it can be mechanically responsive.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for treating vascular defects. A catheter having a selectively energizeable coil on its distal end. The catheter is particularly adapted for the delivery of magnetic embolic materials. The coil can be energized to aid in the magnetic navigation of the catheter, to help retain magnetic material in the catheter, to draw ejected magnetic material back into the catheter. A catheter can also be used to deliver a magnetic patch that can be magnetically applied to a vascular defect such as an aneurysm.