Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for colon screening by using Magnetic Particle Imaging comprising the steps of: (a) generating an imaging magnetic field with a spatial distribution of the magnetic field strength such that the area of examination in the colon consists of a first sub-area of the colon with lower magnetic field strength, where the magnetization of a magnetic particle which was pre-delivered to the colon is not saturated, and a second sub-area of the colon with a higher magnetic field strength, where the magnetization of said magnetic particle is saturated; (b) changing the spatial location of both sub-areas in the area of examination so that the magnetization of said particles changes locally; (c) acquiring signals that depend on the magnetization in the area of examination influenced by this change; and (d) evaluating said signals to obtain information about the spatial distribution of the signals in the area of examination.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system and an imaging method for visualizing areas (2) in a moving environment within the body of a patient (1), wherein the position of one or more markers, which are connected to an interventional device (4), is determined and used to determine the position of the areas (2) and/or of the interventional device (4) in images (6) which are recorded of the areas (2) and of their environment. According to the invention, the markers used are active locators which independently of the method used to record the images (6) generate data or signals for determining their position. Such an imaging method, which preferably uses electromagnetic locators, allows a considerably more robust representation of the visualized areas (2), with elimination of movements, than is possible using passive markers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for correction of the position (x) of a field sensor (4) measured by means of a magnetic localization device. External field distortions, such as caused for example by the rotating components (1a, 1b) of a computer tomograph (1), are then determined with the help of reference sensor (3) placed at a known position. It is possible to deduce, for example, the current angle of rotation (?) of the computer tomograph (1) from the measurement signals of the reference sensor (3). Based on an empirically determined correction (?(x, ?)), the uncorrected determined positions (x) of the field sensor (4) can then be converted to corrected positions (x?) in relation to the field distortions. The field generator (2) and the reference sensor (3) are preferably fastened to the gantry in order to eliminate the dependency of the field distortions on an inclination of the gantry.

Abstract: Position measurements are often performed using a localization system with a given fixed capture range and accuracy and resolution. Having a fixed capture range often comes at the cost of decreased accuracy and resolution. At the start, a large capture range is provided where the accuracy and resolution is low. In this large capture area, the target area can be identified and aimed at. With this identification, a smaller capture range is iteratively provided and centered around the region of interest, which leads to an increased accuracy and resolution.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for correction of the position (x) of a field sensor (4) measured by means of a magnetic localization device. External field distortions, such as caused for example by the rotating components (1a, 1b) of a computer tomograph (1), are then determined with the help of reference sensor (3) placed at a known position. It is possible to deduce, for example, the current angle of rotation (?) of the computer tomograph (1) from the measurement signals of the reference sensor (3). Based on an empirically determined correction (?(x, ?)), the uncorrected determined positions (x) of the field sensor (4) can then be converted to corrected positions (x?) in relation to the field distortions. The field generator (2) and the reference sensor (3) are preferably fastened to the gantry in order to eliminate the dependency of the field distortions on an inclination of the gantry.

Abstract: The invention relates to a facility that can be used, in particular, to measure the flow conditions in a blood vessel. The facility comprises a catheter (16) having a bundle (15) of optical waveguides that connects control and measurement facilities (20) outside the body with an optical unit (10) at the catheter tip. The light (?K) generated by a cavitation light laser source (30) is beamed via the catheter (16) and the optical unit (10) into a focus region (2) in the vessel lumen, where it generates cavitation bubbles (3). The movement of the cavitation bubbles (3) with the blood flow is determined by the particle-measuring unit (20) that is based, for example, on phase-Doppler anemometry and/or the Doppler shift. As a result of suitable design of the optical unit (10), the focus region (2) can be displaced as desired radially and rotationally inside the vessel so that a vessel cross section can be scanned in a spatially resolved way.

Abstract: In the field of airport baggage inspection, a multi-level screening procedure is used. When a first level screening system (18) detects a “suspicious region” inside a bag, it is transferred to a next level system (2) where the bag gets rescanned. According to the present invention, a device/method is provided for finding and tracking the suspicious region inside the baggage which allows to reduce the area to be rescanned significantly. For this purpose, the image from the first level system together with the position of the suspicious region within the image is transferred from the first level system to the second level system. On arrival of the bag at the second level (21), a simple X-ray transmission image is measured using an additional source/detector system (6). The two images are then rigidly registered in order to exactly determine the suspicious region in the second level scanner system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a navigation system for navigating a catheter (3) in a vascular system (10), in which the current spatial position of the catheter (3) is continually measured by a locating device (2). The temporal sequence of the position signals obtained in this way is subjected to a filtering operation in order to compensate for cyclic intrinsic movements of the vascular system which are caused for example by the heartbeat. The filtering may comprise the suppression of amplitude maxima in the frequency spectrum at the heartbeat frequency. Furthermore, the filtering may comprise the calculation of a center of the trajectory in time windows of the length of the heartbeat.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for navigating a catheter in the vessel system or an intervention needle in an organ of a patient that is subject to a spontaneous movement due to heartbeat and/or respiration. In this connection, a movement model (11) that describes the displacement of points in the vessel system with respect to a reference phase (E0) of the spontaneous movement is kept ready in the memory of a data processing device (10). The spatial positions and orientations of the instrument (4) measured by a locating device (2) in the vessel system of the patient (3) and also the ECG values (E) recorded in parallel therewith are converted by the data processing device (10) with the aid of the movement model (11) into a movement-compensated position (r+?) of the instrument that can then be displayed in a static vessel or organ map (12). The movement model (11) can be obtained from a series of three-dimensional recordings of the vessel system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a catheter system comprising a first, outer catheter (1) and a second catheter element contained in it, which can particularly be a guide wire (2). A respective active localizer (4, 5) is placed on the first and on the second catheter element (1, 2), for example sensors of a magnetic tracking system. The first catheter element (1) preferably has a fixing device (3), by means of which it can be fixed relative to the vascular system (7). If the guide wire (2) is, for example, to be navigated through a stenosis (6), the position of its localizer (5) relative to the localizer (4) is measured on the catheter element at rest (1), so that its position relative to the vessel (7) is known. Since interference factors such as organ movement balance each other during the measurement of the relative position of the localizers (4, 5), the navigation can be carried out with very high accuracy.

Abstract: The invention relates to a navigation system for guiding a catheter in a patient's vascular system, where the spatial position of the catheter and its orientation are continually measured by a locating device. The resulting trajectory (T0) of the catheter contains movement artefacts on account of the heartbeat. In order to suppress said movement artefacts, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is recorded in parallel, and the position and orientation signals are suppressed during phases of strong heart movement (QRS peak). Preferably, extrapolation of the compensated trajectory (Tc) is carried out in the gaps arising as a result of signal suppression.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for recording the movement, caused in particular by breathing, of organs of the body such as the heart (9) for example. A part (3) of the diaphragm (10) is recorded by means of an X-ray device or an ultrasound device and the current position of the diaphragm is detected in the resulting image. Information about the associated position of other internal organs can be obtained from the position of the diaphragm with the aid of a model. This information can in turn be used, in a navigation system for a catheter, to set the spatial coordinates of the latter relative to the vascular system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system and an imaging method for visualizing areas (2) in a moving environment within the body of a patient (1), wherein the position of one or more markers, which are connected to an interventional device (4), is determined and used to determine the position of the areas (2) and/or of the interventional device (4) in images (6) which are recorded of the areas (2) and of their environment. According to the invention, the markers used are active locators which independently of the method used to record the images (6) generate data or signals for determining their position. Such an imaging method, which preferably uses electromagnetic locators, allows a considerably more robust representation of the visualized areas (2), with elimination of movements, than is possible using passive markers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for locating an instrument, such as a catheter (104) for example, within a body (106). The catheter (104) has a number of light guides into which there is passed an NIR radiation pulse (102) from a laser (101). The NIR radiation is emitted by scattering end sections (105) of the light guides into the body volume (106) and detected outside the body by means of cameras (107a, 107b, 107c). Scattered photons are preferably excluded by means of a temporally selective amplification. The location of the catheter (104) can be reconstructed stereoscopically on the basis of the camera images.

Abstract: In the field of airport baggage inspection, a multi-level screening procedure is used. When a first level screening system (18) detects a “suspicious region” inside a bag, it is transferred to a next level system (2) where the bag gets rescanned. According to the present invention, a device/method is provided for finding and tracking the suspicious region inside the baggage which allows to reduce the area to be rescanned significantly. For this purpose, the image from the first level system together with the position of the suspicious region within the image is transferred from the first level system to the second level system. On arrival of the bag at the second level (21), a simple X-ray transmission image is measured using an additional source/detector system (6). The two images are then rigidly registered in order to exactly determine the suspicious region in the second level scanner system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of interventional angiography, in which intravascular image signals are recorded by means of a first image recording device (1) inserted into a blood vessel (7) of a patient (8), the intravascular position of which image recording device is determined during the recording of the images, where the intravascular image signals are visualized by means of a display unit (4) taking account of the intravascular position of the first image recording device (1).