MRI COMPATIBLE MEDICAL LEADS
Herein is disclosed a probe, including a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/123,534, which claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/283,725, filed Apr. 13, 2001. The aforementioned applications are incorporated herein in their entireties by this reference.
GOVERNMENT GRANTSThis invention was made, in part, with government support under grant numbers RO1 HL 57483 and RO1 HL61672 from the National Institutes of Health. The United States government has certain rights to this invention.
BACKGROUNDThe disclosed systems and methods relate in general to ablation and electrophysiologic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and in particular to systems and methods for performing, guiding, and providing visualization of such procedures.
Atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurring in patients with structurally abnormal hearts are of great concern in contemporary cardiology. They represent the most frequently encountered tachycardias, account for the most morbidity and mortality, and, despite much progress, remain therapeutic challenges.
Atrial fibrillation affects a larger population than ventricular tachyarrhythmias, with a prevalence of approximately 0.5% in patients 50-59 years old, increasing to 8.8% in patients in their 80's. Framingham data indicate that the age-adjusted prevalence has increased substantially over the last 30 years, with over 2 million people in the United States affected. Atrial fibrillation usually accompanies disorders such as coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and the postoperative state, but occurs in the absence of any recognized abnormality in 10% of cases. Although it may not carry the inherent lethality of a ventricular tachyarrhythmia, it does have a mortality twice that of control subjects. Symptoms which occur during atrial fibrillation result from the often rapid irregular heart rate and the loss of atrio-ventricular (AV) synchrony. These symptoms, side effects of drugs, and most importantly, thrombo-embolic complications in the brain (leading to approximately 75,000 strokes per year), make atrial fibrillation a formidable challenge.
Two strategies have been used for medically managing patients with atrial fibrillations. The first involves rate control and anticoagulation, and the second involves attempts to restore and maintain sinus rhythm. The optimal approach is uncertain. In the majority of patients, attempts are made to restore sinus rhythm with electrical or pharmacologic cardioversion. Current data suggest anticoagulation is needed for 3 to 4 weeks prior to and 2 to 4 weeks following cardioversion to prevent embolization associated with the cardioversion. Chronic antiarrhythmic therapy may be indicated once sinus rhythm is restored. Overall, pharmacologic, therapy is successful in maintaining sinus rhythm in 30 to 50% of patients over one to two years of follow-up. A major disadvantage of antiarrhythmic therapy is the induction of sustained, and sometimes lethal, arrhythmias (proarrhythmia) in up to 10% of patients.
If sinus rhythm cannot be maintained, several approaches are used to control the ventricular response to atrial fibrillation. Pharmacologic agents which slow conduction through the AV node are first tried. When pharmacologic approaches to rate control fail, or result in significant side effects, ablation of the AV node, and placement of a permanent pacemaker may be considered. The substantial incidence of thromboembolic strokes makes chronic anticoagulation important, but bleeding complications are not unusual, and anticoagulation cannot be used in all patients.
In addition to medical management approaches, surgical therapy of atrial fibrillation has also been performed. The surgical-maze procedure, developed by Cox, is an approach for suppressing atrial fibrillation while maintaining atrial functions, This procedure involves creating multiple linear incisions in the left and night atria. These surgical incisions create lines that block conduction and compartmentalize the atrium into distinct segments that remain in communication with the sinus node. By reducing the mass of atrial tissue in each segment, the mass of atrial tissue is insufficient to sustain the multiple reentrant rotors, which are the basis for atrial fibrillation. Surgical approaches to the treatment of atrial fibrillation result in an efficacy of>95% and a low incidence of complications. However, despite these encouraging results, this procedure has not gained widespread acceptance because of the long duration of recovery and risks associated with cardiac surgery. p Invasive studies of the electrical activities of the heart (electrophysiologic studies) have also been used in the diagnosis and therapy of arrhythmias. Focal atrial tachycardias, AV-nodal reentrant tachycardias, accessory pathways, atrial flutter, and idiopathic ventricular tachycardia can be cured by selective destruction of critical electrical pathways with radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation. Electrophysiologists have attempted to replicate the maze procedure using RF catheter ablation. The procedure is arduous, requiring general anesthesia and procedure durations often greater than 12 hours, with exposure to ionizing x-ray irradiation for over 2 hours. Some patients have sustained cerebrovascular accidents. One of the main limitations of the procedure is the difficulty associated with creating and confirming the presence of continuous linear lesions in the atrium. If the linear lesions have gaps, then activation can pass through the gap and complete a reentrant circuit, thereby sustaining atrial fibrillation or flutter. This difficulty contributes significantly to the long procedure durations discussed above.
Creating and confirming continuous linear lesions and morbidity could be facilitated by improved minimally-invasive techniques for imaging lesions created in the atria. Such an imaging technique may allow the procedure to be based purely on anatomic findings.
The major technology for guiding placement of a catheter is x-ray fluoroscopy. For electrophsiologic studies and ablation, frame rates of 7-15 per second are generally used which allows an operator to see x-ray-derived shadows of the catheters inside the body. Since x-rays traverse the body from one side to the other, all of the structures that are traversed by the x-ray beam contribute to the image. The image, therefore is a superposition of shadows from the entire thickness of the body. Using one projection, therefore, it is only possible to know the position of the catheter perpendicular to the direction of the beam. In order to gain information about the position of the catheter parallel to the beam, it is necessary to use a second beam that is offset at some angle from the original beam, or to move the original beam to another angular position. Since x-ray shadows are the superposition of contributions from many structures, and since the discrimination of different soft tissues is not great, it is often very difficult to determine exactly where the catheter is within the heart. In addition, the borders of the heart are generally not accurately defined, so it is generally not possible to know if the catheter has penetrated the wall of the heart, and lesions are invisible under x-ray fluoroscopy. Thus, it is very difficult to discern whether tissue has been adequately ablated. The intracardiac electrogram may be used to guide the catheters to the proper cardiac tissue.
Intracardiac ultrasound has been used to overcome deficiencies in identifying soft tissue structures. With ultrasound it is possible to determine exactly where the walls of the heart are with respect to a catheter and the ultrasound probe, but the ultrasound probe is mobile, so there can be doubt where the absolute position of the probe is with respect to the heart.
Neither x-ray fluoroscopy nor intracardiac ultrasound have the ability to accurately and reproducibly identify areas of the heart that have been ablated.
A system known as “non-fluoroscopic electro-anatomic mapping” (U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,199 to Ben-Haim), was developed to allow more accurate positioning of catheters within the heart. That system uses weak magnetic fields and a calibrated magnetic field detector to track the location of a catheter in 3-space. The system can mark the position of a catheter, but the system relies on having the heart not moving with respect to a marker on the body. The system does not obviate the need for initial placement using x-ray fluoroscopy, and cannot directly image ablated tissue.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a known imaging technique which uses high-strength magnetic and electric fields to image the body. A strong static magnetic field orients the magnetic moments of the hydrogen nuclei creating a bulk nuclear magnetization. RF magnetic field pulses with frequency tuned to the resonant or “Larmor” frequency in the presence of the static field, change the spatial orientation of the bulk magnetization of the nuclei, as known to those skilled in the art. In addition, time-varying gradient magnetic fields applied in the three Cartesian directions (X, Y, Z) are used for spatial encoding of the signals from the tissue. The magnitude of a gradient magnetic field is such as to cause the main static magnetic field to vary linearly as a function of the respective spatial coordinate in the magnet. As a result of the addition of the static and gradient magnetic fields, the local Larmor resonance frequency, is spatially encoded. The information corresponding to the strength of the magnetization at each point in space can then be decoded by means of reconstruction techniques known to those skilled in the art, permitting the imaging of tissues in three-dimensional space.
MRI has been used to guide procedures in which RF energy is applied to non-contractile organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys to ablate tumors. However, these systems are not suitable for use in the heart. U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,778 to Kandarpa et al. discloses a method and apparatus for MRI and tissue heating. There is no provision in the disclosed probe for measuring electrical signals, and it is unclear how much resolution is provided by the probe.
SUMMARYThe systems and methods disclosed herein enhance the art by, among other things, facilitating the performance of multiple functions during electrophysiological interventions with MRI. An embodiment provides an instrument that can be easily visualized and/or tracked in an MR or other image. An embodiment provides an instrument that can be easy to maneuver. An embodiment provides an instrument that can facilitate high resolution imaging of a target area. An embodiment provides an instrument that can record an intracardiac electrogram. An embodiment provides an instrument that can deliver RF energy for ablation of the desired tissue near the instrument tip.
An embodiment provides an improved multi-functional systems and methods for guiding and/or providing visualization during electrophysiologic procedures.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate guiding or visualizing ablation procedures suitable for use in, e.g., the heart and other structures.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods include catheters that are easy to maneuver and/or track.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate imaging ablation lesions with increased resolution of the target area and reliability.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate delivering RF energy for ablation of tissue, including but not limited to pathologic tissue.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate recording and monitoring electrical potentials, including but not limited to physiologic bio-potentials.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate determining the position of, e.g., target tissue or an ablation instrument.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate guiding the delivery of RF ablation energy.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate the integration of imaging and ablation in a single instrument.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate using magnetic resonance imaging to increase the safety and accuracy of electrophysiologic procedures.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods provide an invasive multi-functional electrophysiology and imaging antenna catheter which includes an RF antenna for receiving magnetic resonance signals, a loop antenna for device tracking, an ablation tip for delivering RF energy for ablation procedures, and diagnostic electrodes for receiving physiological electrical potentials. The combined electrophysiology and imaging antenna catheter can be used in combination with a MRI scanner to, for example, guide, perform, and/or provide visualization during electrophysiologic diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
In an embodiment, the disclosed systems and methods can be particularly applicable to ablation of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and in such embodiments may be used as an intracardiac device to both deliver energy to selected areas of tissue and visualize the resulting ablation lesions, thereby greatly simplifying production of continuous linear lesions. Additionally, the disclosed systems and methods can be used as active tracking devices by means of a “loop antenna” that receives MRI signals excited by the scanner. Gradient echoes are then generated along three orthogonal axes to frequency encode the location of the coil and thus provide the three-dimensional (3D) space coordinates of the electrode tip. These numeric coordinates can then be used to control the imaging plane of the scanner, thereby allowing accurate imaging slices to be prescribed to target anatomy for RF therapy. Low resolution images can be obtained indicating catheter location relative to the body by combining the MRI signals from the loop with those of the conventional external MRI detector coil. In addition, high resolution images can be obtained using the signals from the loop antenna. In another embodiment, the loop antenna utilized in the combined electrophysiology and imaging catheter for receiving MRI signals is connected to form a “loopless” type antenna. High-resolution images from the antenna may be combined with low-resolution images from surface coils of the MR scanner to produce a composite image. The disclosed systems and methods further include embodiments useful for guiding electrophysiologic diagnostic and therapeutic procedures other than ablation. An RF filtering system is provided for suppressing the MRI signal while not attenuating the RF ablative current. Steering means may be provided for steering the invasive catheter under MR guidance. Steering could be facilitated by proving a probe with a pull wire. In addition, the disclosed systems and methods include acquisition of local physiological bio-potential measurements using a multi-electrode catheter, which permits, via MRI guidance, active tracking of the location of each electrode. A central novel feature of the disclosed systems and methods is that because bio-potentials, RF ablation, and MRI are each performed over different frequency ranges, frequency-dependent circuit elements can be used to change the catheter's electrical structure enabling it to provide multiple electrical structures within a single physical structure.
In an embodiment, a probe or catheter includes a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor.
In an embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging probe includes a coaxial cable having an inner conductor and an outer shield, a first split ring electrode electrically coupled to the inner conductor, and a second split ring electrode electrically coupled to the outer conductor, a first center split ring electrode electrically coupled to the first split ring electrode and to a first conductor, a second center split ring electrode electrically coupled to the first center split ring electrode and to the second split ring electrode, and also coupled to a second conductor.
In an embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging probe includes a first electrode disposed on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode through a reactance, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode through a reactance, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor.
In an embodiment, a system for magnetic resonance imaging includes a magnetic resonance imaging probe, having a first electrode disposed on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode through a reactance, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode through a reactance, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor; and an interface electrically coupled to the probe, the interface having a tuning/matching/decoupling circuit and a signal splitting circuit; and an MRI scanner electrically coupled to the interface.
In an embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging probe includes a coaxial cable having an inner conductor and an outer shield, and a split ring electrode having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being electrically coupled to the inner conductor, and the second portion being electrically coupled to the outer shield.
In an embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging probe may include a coaxial cable having an inner conductor and an outer shield, a first split ring electrode electrically coupled to the inner conductor, and a second split ring electrode electrically coupled to the outer conductor; wherein the first split ring and the second split ring are electrically coupled by a first reactive element.
In an embodiment, the reactive element can conduct a high frequency signal between the first conductor and the second conductor. In an embodiment, the high frequency signal has a frequency higher than about 10 MegaHertz (MHz). In an embodiment, the reactive element can conduct a signal having magnetic resonance imaging frequency energy between the first conductor and the second conductor.
In an embodiment, at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor can conduct a low frequency signal to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode. In an embodiment, the low frequency signal has a frequency of up to about 500 kiloHertz (kHz). In an embodiment, the low frequency is in the range from about 100 Hertz (Hz) to about 1 kHz. In an embodiment, the frequency is about 100 kHz.
In an embodiment, the reactive element conducts a signal having ablation frequency energy to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode. In an embodiment, the reactive element conducts a signal having biopotential recording frequency energy to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.
In an embodiment, the probe further comprises a lumen.
In an embodiment, the reactive element comprises at least one of a high-pass filter, a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter, and a capacitor. In an embodiment, the reactance comprises at least one of an inductor and an LC circuit.
In an embodiment, the first conductor couples to the first electrode through a reactance. In an embodiment, at least one of the first conductor, the second conductor, the first electrode, and the second electrode comprises at least one of a magnetic resonance compatible material, a superelastic material, copper, gold, silver, platinum, iridium, MP35N, tantalum, titanium, Nitinol, L605, gold-platinum-iridium, gold-copper-iridium, and gold-platinum.
In an embodiment, the first conductor and the second conductor are electrically coupled to a tuning/matching/decoupling circuit. In an embodiment, the first conductor and the second conductor are electrically coupled to a signal splitting circuit. In an embodiment, the first conductor and the second conductor are electrically coupled by at least one capacitor.
An embodiment may further include a third conductor electrically coupled to a third electrode, and a fourth conductor electrically coupled to a fourth electrode, wherein a first signal having high frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor through the reactive element, and a second signal having low frequency energy is conducted to at least one of the third electrode and the fourth electrode.
An embodiment may further include a shaft, the shaft including at least one of Kevlar, nylon, Teflon, polyethylene, polyolefin, PTFE, polyurethane, PEBAX, braided Kevlar, and braided nylon. In an embodiment, the probe surface is covered by a lubricious coating.
In an embodiment, the probe has an outer diameter in the range of about 1 French to about 15 French. In an embodiment, the probe has a length in the range of about 50 cm to about 200 cm. In an embodiment, the probe further comprises a pull wire.
In an embodiment, the first conductor, the reactive element, and the second conductor form a loop antenna. In an embodiment, the first conductor, the reactive element, and the second conductor form a loopless antenna.
In an embodiment, the inner conductor and the outer shield are electrically coupled by a reactive element. In an embodiment, the reactive element comprises at least one of a high-pass filter, a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter, and a capacitor. In an embodiment, the inner conductor and the outer shield are electrically coupled by a second reactive element. In an embodiment, the second reactive element comprises at least one of a high-pass filter, a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter, and a capacitor. In an embodiment, the first reactive element comprises at least one of a high-pass filter, a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter, and a capacitor.
In an embodiment, a method for simultaneously imaging and ablating a tissue can include exposing the tissue to a magnetic field, the field having a static component and a gradient component, placing a probe adjacent to the tissue, the probe including a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor, and low frequency energy is conducted to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; directing low-frequency energy to the probe, the low frequency energy being conducted to the tissue by at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; and receiving high-frequency energy from at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor for imaging at least one of the probe and the tissue.
In an embodiment, a method for simultaneously imaging a tissue and measuring a bioelectric potential in the tissue may include exposing the tissue to a magnetic field, the field having a static component and a gradient component, placing a probe adjacent to the tissue, the probe including a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor, and low frequency energy is conducted to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; receiving low-frequency energy from the probe, the low frequency energy being conducted from at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; and receiving high-frequency energy from at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor for imaging at least one of the probe and the tissue,
In an embodiment, a method for simultaneously imaging a tissue, ablating the tissue, and measuring a bioelectric potential in the tissue may include exposing the tissue to a magnetic field, the field having a static component and a gradient component, placing a probe adjacent to the tissue, the probe including a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor, and low-frequency and medium-frequency energy is conducted to at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode; receiving low-frequency energy from the probe, the low frequency energy being conducted from at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, directing medium-frequency energy to the probe, the medium-frequency energy being conducted to the tissue by at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, and receiving high-frequency energy from the probe, the high-frequency energy having magnetic resonance imaging data.
In an embodiment, a method for simultaneously imaging and treating a tissue may include exposing the tissue to a magnetic field, the field having a static component and a gradient component, placing a probe adjacent to the tissue, the probe including a first electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a second electrode disposed at least partially on the probe surface, a first conductor electrically coupled to the first electrode, a second conductor electrically coupled to the second electrode, and a frequency-dependent reactive element electrically coupling the first conductor and the second conductor, such that high-frequency energy is conducted between the first conductor and the second conductor; delivering a therapy to the tissue, and receiving high-frequency energy from the probe, the high-frequency energy having magnetic resonance imaging data,
In an embodiment, the therapy may include at least one of ablation energy, heat, ultrasound energy, a substance discharged through a lumen of the probe, and monitoring the delivering.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSEmbodiments of the disclosed systems and methods will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of the disclosed systems and methods.
The disclosed systems and methods in an embodiment use MRI to allow multi-functional catheters to be placed without radiation, and provides very accurate localization of catheter tips in 3D space. With current MRI scanners, resolution is limited by the distance the RF coil is from the volume of tissue being imaged. The signal from any particular imaging volume is picked up by an external detector coil. The gradients select a volume inside the body for imaging, but the coil outside the body picks up the signal from the imaging volume as well as the noise from all of the sample regions that are within its range. The farther the surface coil is from the imaging volume, the more noise can be present.
MRI has been proposed as an alternative imaging modality for guiding and monitoring EP procedures and offers several advantages over other modalities for electrophysiologic intervention. For example, the heart and endocardial landmarks can be visualized throughout the procedure. This anatomical information facilitates the identification of ablation sites for arrhythmias such as atrial flutter and fibrillation. In addition, cardiac motion and flow dynamics can be monitored during the procedure. This enables acute assessment of cardiac function as the intervention is performed. Furthermore, MRI does not employ ionizing radiation, such as x-rays, and is generally considered to be a minimal risk procedure.
MRI can facilitate the visualization of ablated tissue during the procedure. Because lesions are typically invisible under x-ray fluoroscopy, it is currently difficult to discern whether tissue has been completely ablated, is only temporarily stunned (i.e., has been subjected to reversible thermal injury), or indeed has not been treated at all. By actually visualizing the tissue lesion, MRI enables positive confirmation of tissue treatment. This can be especially important for procedures that benefit from continuous lines of ablation, such as treatment for atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, and isolation of pathologic tissue in the pulmonary veins. Imaging of ablated tissue may allow what are now long and difficult procedures to be performed on a more routine and efficient basis.
In an embodiment, an internal catheter receiving coil/antenna may be incorporated into an electrophysiologic RF ablation catheter that also includes electrodes for recording bio-potentials. Because the receiving coil/antenna is closer to the imaging volume being targeted for ablation and may have a limited range of detection, the MRI signal is increased and the noise from remote regions reduced, thereby providing an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which enables higher strength MRI gradients to be applied, thereby improving resolution where it is needed most.
In an embodiment, MRI can be used to facilitate catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation by guiding creation of continuous linear ablation lesions, and confirming that a complete linear lesion has been created (line of block) in combination with measurements of bio-potential. The visualization of areas of ablation and measurements of bio-potential may allow a reduction in the number of lesions needed, and may also reduce the number of recurrences, by more accurately ablating the arrhythmias.
A reactive element can include an electrical component such as a capacitor, a resistor, an inductor, a diode, or various combinations of these. A reactive element can be a filter, such as a lowpass filter, a highpass filter, a bandpass filter, or a bandstop filter. A reactance can be a reactive element.
A high frequency signal or high frequency energy can include energy that has a frequency of 10 MegaHertz (MHz) or higher. It can include energy that has a frequency of 60 MHz or higher. It can include energy that has a frequency of about 63.9 MHz.
A low frequency signal or low frequency energy can include energy that has a frequency of less than 10 MHz. It can include energy that has a frequency of 500 kiloHertz (kHz) or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 1 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 Hertz (Hz) or less.
Ablation frequency energy can include energy that has a frequency of less than 10 MHz. It can include energy that has a frequency of 500 kiloHertz (kHz) or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 1 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 Hertz (Hz) or less.
Biopotential recording frequency energy can include energy that has a frequency of less than 10 MHz. It can include energy that has a frequency of 500 kiloHertz (kHz) or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 1 kHz or less. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 Hertz (Hz) or less. It can include energy that has a frequency between about 100 Hz and about 1 kHz.
Medium frequency energy can include energy that has a frequency of less than 10 MHz and greater that 50 kHz. It can include energy that has a frequency between 500 kiloHertz (kHz) and 50 kHz. It can include energy that has a frequency between 200 kHz and 50 kHz. It can include energy that has a frequency of 100 kHz.
A catheter can be a probe. A probe can be a catheter.
In an embodiment, a lubricious material can include at least one of polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid, hydrophilic substance, or silicone.
It is known to those skilled in the art that long, flexible loop antennas produce local regions of high signal and are therefore ideal for active catheter tracking (For example, see Atalar E, Bottomley P A, Ocali O, Correia L C, Kelemen M D, Lima J A, Zerhouni E A. High resolution intravascular MRI and MRS by using a catheter receiver coil. Magn Reson Med. 1996; 36:596-605). For a catheter structure with two electrical leads, a loop antenna configuration can be produced by short-circuiting the distal end of the catheter. While this solution may be theoretically ideal, it is unacceptable for electrophysiology interventions because in order to perform ablation and to record of bio-potentials, multiple, electrically isolated wire leads are preferred.
In an embodiment, a capacitor 20, is placed at the distal end 11, of the catheter (
To understand the function of the catheter, it is useful to consider the electrical appearance of the device at both low and high frequency ranges. First, at low frequencies, the capacitor has a large impedance and behaves approximately as an open circuit. The RF inductors have low impedance and appear as short circuits. Therefore, the low frequency structure (
In the preferred embodiment, the proximal ends 4 and 5 of the catheter are connected to an MRI tuning, matching and decoupling circuit 99 and signal splitting circuit 100 as exemplified in
It will be understood that the matching circuit shown in
In addition, the MRI tuning, matching, decoupling and signal splitting circuit (
In previous studies, concerns have been raised about the safety of using metallic structures in MR scanners. Radiofrequency energy (MHz)—transmitted from the scanner in order to generate the MR signal—can be deposited around the interventional device. This results in high electrical fields around the instrument and local tissue heating. This heating tends to be most concentrated at the ends of the electrical structure. This safety issue can be addressed using the disclosed systems and methods. The concern is that the surface ring electrodes, which directly contact the tissue, can cause local tissue burns. The electrodes need to be cut/removed from the circuit in the megahertz frequency range. This can be accomplished with an inductor circuit element (placed in series) between the lead wires and the surface electrodes. With this design, the electrical end of the leads (in the megahertz range) are buried inside of the catheter and as a result, the concentrated electric fields are also located inside of the catheter, instead of in the tissue. This results in a significant reduction in unwanted tissue heating. A more effective way to ‘cut’ the surface electrodes from the rest of the circuit could be to use a resonant circuit in place of the inductors. This resonant circuit could include an inductor in parallel with a capacitor (an ‘LC circuit’). If this LC circuit is tuned to the MR frequency, it can present a very high impedance at this frequency. This can effectively cut the surface electrodes and reduce unwanted heating. For maximal effectiveness, the LC circuit should be shielded. The LC circuit may be placed distal to the electrodes and allowing the electrodes to be visualized.
In order to monitor physiologic bio-potentials and/or deliver RF energy for ablation, a splitting circuit is required. In
In summary, it will be seen that, with the filtering and connections in place as described, low frequency physiological bio-potentials can pass unimpeded from surface electrodes 14 and 15 to bio-potential measuring device connected at outputs 94 and 95. Similarly RF energy for ablation applied at a frequency that is different from the MRI frequency to leads 94 and 95, can be delivered unimpeded to electrodes 14 and 15 when they are used for ablation. Any noise or other signals present at the MRI frequency can be substantially attenuated or effectively eliminated from lines 64, 65, 94, 95. From the MRI standpoint, electrodes 14 and 15 are deactivated and disconnected. The catheter behaves as a loop antenna 40 tuned to the MRI frequency and matched to the MRI system input, 84 and 85. During MRI excitation, or in fact at any point during the procedure when it is desirable to do so, the antenna can be deactivated by a DC bias voltage applied across inputs 84, 85, by virtue of the decoupling means 90.
In this embodiment, it will be apparent also that the entire area of the loop antenna 40 extending from the distal portion of the catheter 11 near the electrodes, to the points where the catheter is connected to the MRI tuning, matching, decoupling and splitting circuits 99 and 100, is MRI active. However, a number of situations may arise where it is desirable to limit the length of sensitivity and/or improve the tuning properties of the loop antenna. In particular, the loop 40 is tuned by capacitor 20 in conjunction with the tuning and matching elements 71, 74, and 75 in tuning and matching circuit 99 at each end of a catheter that may be 100 cm or more long. The extended length of this loop may render it susceptible to stray capacitance arising between the leads of the catheter, 4 and 5, and the surrounding sample and/or environment. The effect of this stray capacitance is generally to add capacitance to the effective LC resonant circuit formed by the loop antenna. If the detuning produced by this effect is significant, it is preferably offset by re-adjustment of the tuning and matching circuit 99. Under situations where the catheter is inserted to different lengths in the sample, different amounts of stray capacitance may occur resulting in variable performance and/or a need for retuning which is not convenient during a procedure or study. In addition there are losses associated with the stray capacitances which can degrade performance as an MRI antenna.
In an embodiment, the effect of the stray capacitance is reduced relative to the total capacitance needed to tune the circuit by adding additional capacitance at other locations. In order not to impede passage of bio-potential and/or RF ablation signals, the capacitors are placed between leads 4 and 5 analogous to capacitor 20. In one embodiment, depicted in
While the catheter devices that are illustrated in
In an embodiment, the electrophysiology catheter can be made to function in the mode of a loopless antenna described by Ocali and Atalar cited above, with catheters employing a plurality of electrodes. In a preferred embodiment represented by
During MRI the conducting loops formed by electrodes 14 and 15 in loopless antenna embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods, may introduce decoupling artifacts, or give rise to local heating due to currents induced in the loops by the MRI excitation field. This problem is mainly limited to distal electrode 14 because electrode 15 is attached to the cable shield. In a further embodiment these problems are minimized by electrically cutting the circular electrodes so that they cannot make continuous loops while maintaining continuous connections between the electrode and lead 4a and 5. This will not curtail their performance for measuring bio-potentials or RF ablation. In another embodiment, these problems are minimized by reducing the diameter of the electrodes and by forming the electrodes with a solid area of conductor covering the electrode diameter.
Loopless antenna embodiments have an advantage of shielding essentially the entire length of the catheter up to the proximal electrode, from stray capacitance and noise pick-up from the sample. In addition it provides the advantage of an MRI capability with an improved range beyond the proximal electrode 15 to the most distal portion of the catheter, the distal electrode, thereby improving image quality and resolution even closer to the target area.
Embodiments wherein the catheter electrodes are split to form rings as described above and which share the advantages of shielding a substantial portion of the catheter length and maximizing the imaging capability at the distal end of the catheter are further 25 described and illustrated in
The multi-functional catheter or probe systems and methods disclosed herein may be constructed so as to be fully MRI-compatible. Specifically, it's design and materials are selected such that (1) the image is not significantly distorted by the device; (2) the MRI electromagnetic fields do not alter the normal functioning of the device; (3) cardiac arrhythmias or other nerve stimulation affects are not produced by the device, and (4) no damage to the tissue is produced by RF energy received from the MRI scanner. The presence of even small amounts of magnetic material in the imaging fields can produce substantial amounts of image distortion. This distortion is caused by perturbation of the imaging magnetic field. The most distortion is caused by ferromagnetic materials (iron, nickel, cobalt). Little if any distortion is produced by materials that do not become significantly magnetized (low magnetic susceptibility) by the MRI magnetic field. Metals which do not produce significant magnetization include copper, gold, platinum and aluminum among others. Many plastics and synthetic fibers are entirely non-magnetic and do not distort the images.
The shaft of the catheter is typically formed of a polymer tubing that is flexible and can be torqued within the body cavities, such as Teflon, polyolefin, polyethylene, pebax, polyurethane, or PTFE. The properties of the materials are such that they enable the device to be easily steered under MRI guidance. The diameter of the tubing should be in the range 0.8-5 mm used typically for electrophysiology procedures, or in the range 1-15 french. The total length of the catheter is in the range 0.6-2 m, but typically at least 1 m. In embodiments designed for cardiac ablation applications, the length of the invasive portion of the device is preferably at least 1.2 m long so that the tip can be placed into the heart from the femoral artery or vein, and the diameter of the device is approximately 2.5 mm. In the embodiment shown in
In the loopless antenna embodiment corresponding to
It is important that the location of the tip of the catheter can be accurately determined by MRI. A number of modes of localization can be used. Because the catheter is a receiver it can be used to directly image the tissue around it. This image can be viewed on with high resolution employing a probe or catheter as disclosed herein, or, it can be viewed at low resolution as an overlay on a large field-of-view “scout” image obtained with an auxiliary coil outside the body. The location of the catheter in the body can be tracked by the bright line of signal moving in the scout image. The scout image can be updated at an interval set by the user to compensate for patient motion. An interactive control can allow the physician to “zoom in” towards the bright catheter, finally resulting in a high-resolution image in the area of the distal catheter and tip. The “zoom” function can be achieved with interactive control of the imaging gradients.
Some exemplary embodiments may include a combined multi-functional MRI catheter; a multi-functional MRI catheter connected and used in conjunction with matching/tuning/decoupling circuit means and splitting circuit means; a multi-functional MRI catheter used with said circuit means in conjunction with a bio-potential monitoring device and/or a standard RF generator for use in ablation connected at inputs 94 and 95 of
The probe or catheter disclosed herein can be used in combination with an MRI scanner such that RF energy can be delivered to selected areas of tissue with the electrodes of the multi-functional catheter, bio-potentials measured with the electrodes, the tissue imaged with the antenna portion of the catheter. RF lesions, target tissue, catheter location and tracking may thus be visualized with the use of external detector coils or the catheter-antenna, or using external detector coils in conjunction with the catheter-antenna. This image visualization and bio-potential measurements can be used for (1) precise titration of therapy, (2) the ability to test the length and depth of lesions from new ablation-energy sources, and (3) accurate assessment of the success of making lines of ablation that block conduction.
MRI can also be used to guide other procedures. In Cardiology, accurate anatomic information, combined with electrical measurements, allows improved study of the pathophysiology of arrhythmias, stunning, remodeling, and tachycardia-induced myopathy. Outside of Cardiology, MRI-guided ablation of tumors such as metastatic liver disease, brain tumors, and prostate cancer, may allow treatment with less morbidity and less cost than conventional open surgery.
As an example of the embodiment depicted in
Capacitors could have values in the range of about 1-1000 pF. Inductors could have values in the range of about 100-1000 nH. In an embodiment, the capacitor C and inductor L values can be related by the equation L=1/(w2C), where w=2πB, and where B is the resonance frequency, for example, about 64 MHz
MRI data can be used to construct 3D map or images of the areas in the heart or other organs being treated, that have undergone ablation, and the surrounding organ or tissue. Areas of ablation can typically be marked by elevated MRI transverse relaxation time values (T2), or decreased longitudinal relaxation values (TI) during infusion of an MRI contrast agent wherein contrast is enhanced by alteration of such relaxation times. A composite 3D rendering of the organ being targeted can be updated after each ablation and displayed with an appropriate rendering technique. The guidance of the catheter tip to the next site of ablation and/or bio-potential measurement, can be assisted by MRI wherein the physician uses the images to manipulate and steer the catheter, or automatic tracking and feedback could assist that physician to steer the catheter. This feature is facilitated by the current availability of MRI frame rates of 10 frames/s or more, which enables real-time catheter placement, bio-potential measurements and intervention. The lesions may be visualized using standard imaging techniques including the use of contrast agents, as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 99/25858, filed Nov. 4, 1999, entitled “System and method for Magnetic Resonance Guided Electrophysiologic and Ablation Procedures” of which this application is a Continuation In Part.
Electrical activation timing information obtained from bio-potential measurements with the catheter, when combined with catheter localization information, enables accurate activation maps that are most useful in determining, for example, the site of origin of an atrial or ventricular tachycardia in the heart. Activation maps can be superimposed and/or color rendered on anatomically accurate reconstructions of cardiac structure. Spatially accurate voltage data is available from knowledge of the location of each electrode in contact with the myocardium in 3D, as derived from MRI. Thus, electrical data originating from each known electrode position allows generation of activation and voltage maps on true anatomic structures. This provides significant advantages beyond the capabilities of the non-fluoroscopic electroanatomic mapping systems that do not provide accurate anatomic information.
When the ablation/imaging catheter is used for the delivery of ablative radio-frequency energy, the high-resolution image obtained via the present catheter system enables visualization of the ablation lesion and of lesion growth. Again, directional orientation, as well as location, of the catheter tip can be determined in 3D space, and the high-resolution image data can be displayed in any plane, and in particular, in the plane orthogonal to the catheter. Since the image is obtained with the same catheter that is delivering the ablative energy, the orthogonal-plane image displays the lesion at its maximal radius, reducing the chances of underestimation as often occurs with ultrasound. High-resolution visualization of ablative lesions by the multi-functional MRI catheter or probe as disclosed herein allows for documentation of whether or not RF application resulted in successful lesion development and of where lesions have and have not yet been made. This facilitates efficient catheter placement so that RE is applied only to tissue not previously ablated.
The combination of the high-resolution visualization, bio-potential measurements and/or RF ablation functionality in a single catheter as discussed above makes high-resolution MRI guidance ideal for visualization and verification of ablative lesion lines, particularly in atrial tissue. This is useful for ablation of the re-entrant circuit in typical atrial flutter and is crucial for successful ablation of atrial fibrillation. It has been shown that atrial fibrillation can be eliminated with multiple lines of ablative lesions placed in the right and left atria to emulate the surgical maze procedure. Failures of the ‘percutaneous maze’ procedure have resulted primarily from incomplete lesion lines. MRI guidance should allow rapid confirmation of lesion line continuity and avoidance of unnecessary repetition of RF application where tissue has already been successfully ablated.
The MRI-guided catheter bio-potential/ablation system offers advantages in ablation of ischemic and idiopathic ventricular tachycardias, ectopic atrial tachycardias, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation. Unlike AV node reentry and accessory pathway mediated tachycardia, these other arrhythmias have lower ablation success rates and longer ablation procedure durations, primarily due to difficulties in accurate activation mapping or confirmation of lesion development with conventional equipment. Procedure durations and risk of complications should thus be reduced substantially with the MRI-guided catheter ablation system.
While the disclosed systems and methods have been described in connection with embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the following claims.
Claims
1. An MRI compatible lead, comprising:
- at least one elongate conductor comprising at least one coiled segment defining an inductor;
- at least one electrode in electrical communication with the at least one conductor;
- and
- at least one frequency dependent circuit in communication with the at least one conductor, the at least one frequency dependent circuit comprising the inductor defined by the coiled conductor segment, wherein the coiled segment inductor resides upstream of the at least one electrode, and wherein the at least one frequency dependent circuit is configured to have a high impedance at an MRI scanner operating frequency in the MHz frequency range to thereby inhibit unwanted MRI related RF-induced tissue heating by the at least one electrode.
2. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frequency dependent circuit is also configured to allow at least one of: (a) energy in the KHz range to be delivered along the conductor to the at least one electrode, then to local tissue; and (b) the at least one electrode to detect electrophysiology signals at a low frequency and transmit the detected signals along the conductor to a receiver.
3. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the conductor coiled segment resides at a distal portion of the lead.
4. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor comprises an insulated wire.
5. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the frequency dependent circuit comprises a shielded parallel resonant LC circuit substantially tuned to the MRI scanner operating frequency residing at a distal portion of the conductor.
6. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one elongate conductor is a plurality of spaced apart insulated conductors, each comprising at least one coiled segment defining a respective inductor, and wherein the at least one electrode is a plurality of electrodes, each electrode connected to at least one of the conductors.
7. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 3, wherein the frequency dependent circuit has an inductor is in series with the at least one electrode.
8. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor comprises first and second axially extending conductors, each with at least one coiled segment defining an inductor, wherein the first and second conductors are electrically connected in parallel to a capacitor extending between the first and second conductors at a distal portion of the lead.
9. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor comprises first and second axially extending conductors, each with at least one coiled segment defining an inductor, wherein the first and second conductors are connected in parallel to a capacitor at a distal portion of the lead.
10. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one conductor coiled segment that defines the inductor is in series with a first electrode residing at a distal portion of the lead.
11. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode is configured to transmit therapeutic energy to local tissue.
12. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the conductors are about 25 cm long.
13. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 1, wherein the frequency dependent circuit comprises about a 500 pF capacitor in parallel with the inductor at a distal portion of the lead.
14. An MRI compatible lead, comprising:
- at least one elongate conductor;
- at least one electrode in electrical communication with a distal portion of the at least one conductor; and
- at least one RF filter in communication with the at least one conductor, the at least one RF filter comprising a frequency dependent circuit residing at a distal portion of the lead upstream of the at least one electrode,
- wherein the RF filters configured to: (a) have a high impedance at an MRI scanner operating frequency in the MHz frequency range to thereby inhibit unwanted tissue heating from the at least one electrode when in an MRI system and; (b) to allow at least one of (i) energy in the KHz range to be delivered along the at least one conductor to the at least one electrode and (ii) the at least one electrode to detect electrophysiology signals at low frequency and transmit the detected signals along the conductor.
15. An MRI compatible lead according to claim 14, wherein the frequency dependent circuit comprises an inductor defined by a coiled conductor segment of the at least one conductor, wherein the coiled segment inductor resides upstream of the at least one electrode.
16. A medical lead, comprising:
- at least one conductor having opposing distal and proximal end portions;
- at least one electrode in communication with the distal end portion of the at least one conductor; and
- an RF filter having a resonant circuit operatively connected to the at least one conductor upstream of the at least one electrode, wherein the resonant circuit is substantially tuned to an RF excitation signal frequency of an MRI scanner to thereby generate a high impedance at an operating frequency of the MRI scanner.
17. A lead according to claim 16, wherein the resonant circuit comprises a shielded LC circuit, and wherein the conductor comprises an inductor in parallel with a capacitor.
18. A lead according to claim 17, wherein the inductor comprises a coiled segment of the conductor.
19. A lead according to claim 18, wherein the at least one conductor is a plurality of insulated conductors, each in communication with at least one of the at least one electrode.
20. A lead according to claim 19, wherein the resonant circuit is configured to allow low frequency therapeutic energy to be transmitted from the electrode.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 15, 2006
Publication Date: Apr 19, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: Ergin Atalar (Bilkent Ankara), Robert Susil (Baltimore, MD)
Application Number: 11/560,055
International Classification: A61N 1/00 (20060101);