阅读说明：本技术 3d心内活动演示 (3D intracardiac activity demonstration ) 是由 S·欧柏 S·戈德堡 O·巴伦 于 2020-09-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明题为“3D心内活动演示”。在一个实施方案中,医疗系统包括导管,该导管被配置成插入到活体受检者的心脏的腔室中并且包括被配置成接触在心脏的腔室内的相应位置处的组织的导管电极；显示器；以及处理电路,该处理电路被配置成从导管接收信号并且响应于信号在相应采样时间对信号的电压值进行采样；响应于以下项来计算相应的弯曲三维表面,该弯曲三维表面描述在采样时间中的相应采样时间在导管电极上的组织的电活动：(a)相应导管电极的相应位置,以及(b)相应的采样电压值,所述相应的采样电压值指示由相应导管电极在相应位置处在相应采样时间感测的组织的电活动,并且随时间推移将相应三维表面呈现到显示器。(The invention provides a 3D intracardiac activity demonstration. In one embodiment, a medical system includes a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and including catheter electrodes configured to contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of the heart; a display; and processing circuitry configured to receive the signal from the catheter and to sample voltage values of the signal at respective sampling times in response to the signal; calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) respective locations of respective catheter electrodes, and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrodes at the respective locations at respective sampling times, and presenting respective three-dimensional surfaces to a display over time.)

1. A medical system, comprising:

a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and comprising a catheter electrode configured to contact tissue at a respective location within the chamber of the heart;

a display; and

processing circuitry configured to receive a signal from the catheter and, in response to the signal:

sampling a voltage value of the signal at a respective sampling time;

calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) a respective location of a respective catheter electrode; and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of the tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrode at the respective location at the respective sampling time; and is

Presenting the respective three-dimensional surface to the display over time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to color a respective region of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to a respective one of the sampled voltage values.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane;

the processing circuitry is configured to calculate respective displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from respective ones of the projection locations of respective ones of the catheter electrodes in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at respective ones of the sampling times; and is

The processing circuitry is configured to fit the respective curved three-dimensional surfaces that describe the electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to respective ones of the displacements from respective ones of the projection locations that are perpendicular to the plane.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to color respective areas of the respective three-dimensional surfaces in response to respective ones of the displacements.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:

sampling the voltage value of the signal at the respective sampling time at a rate of more than ten times per second; and is

Presenting the respective three-dimensional surface to the display over time, wherein a new one of the three-dimensional surfaces is displayed at least every tenth of a second, such that the presented three-dimensional surface provides an animation of activation waves associated with the electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface configured to receive user input to change a perspective of some of the three-dimensional surfaces, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to present some of the three-dimensional surfaces at different perspectives in response to the received user input.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the catheter includes: a shaft having a distal end; and a distal end assembly on which the catheter electrode is disposed; and is

The respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes are respective positions derived from a static computer model of the catheter.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the catheter includes: a shaft having a distal end; and a distal end assembly on which the catheter electrode is disposed; and is

The processing circuitry is configured to calculate the respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

11. A medical method, comprising:

receiving a signal from a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and comprising a catheter electrode configured to contact tissue at a respective location within the chamber of the heart;

sampling a voltage value of the signal at a respective sampling time in response to the signal;

calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) a respective location of a respective catheter electrode; and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of the tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrode at the respective location at the respective sampling time; and

presenting the respective three-dimensional surface to a display over time.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising coloring respective regions of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane, the method further comprising:

calculating respective displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from respective ones of the projection locations of respective ones of the catheter electrodes in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at respective ones of the sampling times; and

fitting the respective curved three-dimensional surfaces that describe the electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to respective ones of the displacements from respective ones of the projection locations that are perpendicular to the plane.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising coloring respective areas of the respective three-dimensional surfaces in response to respective ones of the displacements.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising sampling the voltage value of the signal at the respective sampling time at a rate exceeding ten times per second, wherein the presenting comprises presenting the respective three-dimensional surface to the display over time, wherein a new one of the three-dimensional surfaces is displayed at least every tenth of a second, such that the presented three-dimensional surface provides an animation of an activation wave associated with the electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving user input to change a perspective of some of the three-dimensional surfaces; and

some of the three-dimensional surfaces are presented at different perspectives in response to the received user input.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the catheter includes: a shaft having a distal end; and a distal end assembly on which the catheter electrode is disposed; and is

The respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes are respective positions derived from a static computer model of the catheter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the catheter comprises: a shaft having a distal end; and a distal end assembly on which the catheter electrode is disposed, and the method further comprises calculating the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

21. A software product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions stored therein, which when read by a Central Processing Unit (CPU) causes the CPU to:

receiving a signal from a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and comprising a catheter electrode configured to contact tissue at a respective location within the chamber of the heart;

sampling a voltage value of the signal at a respective sampling time in response to the signal;

calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of the tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) a respective location of a respective catheter electrode; and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of the tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrode at the respective location at the respective sampling time; and is

Presenting the respective three-dimensional surface to a display over time.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to medical systems and in particular, but not exclusively, to analysis of electrical activity.

Background

Electrical activity at a point in the heart may be measured by advancing a multi-electrode catheter to simultaneously measure electrical activity at multiple points in the heart cavity. Other methods such as the use of an external vest may provide an indication of cardiac activity. Recordings derived from time-varying potentials measured by one or more electrodes are called electrograms. An electrogram may be measured by a unipolar lead or a bipolar lead and used, for example, to determine the starting instant of electrical propagation at a certain point, referred to as the Local Activation Time (LAT).

U.S. patent 5,782,773 to Kuo et al describes a three-dimensional electrocardiogram display method for the 3-D representation of multiple cardiac signals. In the method, a 3-D rectangular coordinate system is defined to display a 3-D representation of the cardiac signal. Furthermore, an amplitude display scheme, preferably an amplitude to color mapping table, is defined to assign various quantization levels of amplitude to designated different colors. By means of a graphical processing and display device, a 3-D representation of the cardiac signal can be generated and displayed. The physician may choose to view the 3-D plot in various views, including a perspective view, a cutaway view, and a top rectangular view. This allows the physician to make a diagnosis of heart disease by observing only one or two 3-D representations of the heart signal. Thus, a physician may have an overall unified view of a large number of cardiac signals, making it easier to diagnose a patient's cardiac condition.

U.S. patent publication 2011/0021936 to Luo describes an apparatus and method for displaying medical data for a stress testing monitoring system. A computer-implemented method and apparatus for displaying electrical pulse data of a human heart for analysis includes receiving electrical pulse data generated by a plurality of electrode leads adapted for placement on a patient during a cardiac stress test and calculating parameters for a plurality of display windows based on the data and providing a primary display in which the plurality of display windows are located, in the primary display. A three-dimensional color map is displayed in one of the plurality of display windows and a two-dimensional color map is displayed in another of the plurality of display windows. Additionally, a graph of raw lead data from at least one lead is displayed in one of the plurality of display windows.

Us patent publication 2012/0130232 to Markowitz et al describes a volume of a patient that may be mapped using a system operable to identify and save multiple locations of a mapping instrument. The mapping instrument may include one or more electrodes that may sense voltages, which may be correlated to the three-dimensional position of the electrodes when sensed or measured. Thus, a map of the volume may be determined based on sensing of the plurality of points without the use of other imaging devices. The implantable medical device can then be navigated relative to the mapping data.

International patent publication WO 2017/192769 to Acutus Medical inc, describes a localization system and method that can be used to collect and analyze cardiac information. By way of example, the localization system and method may be used with a system that performs cardiac mapping, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiac abnormalities, and in the retrieval, processing, and interpretation of such information. The positioning system and method uses high impedance inputs, improved isolation, and relatively high drive currents for the electrode pairs used to establish the multi-axis coordinate system. These axes may be rotated and scaled to improve positioning.

Disclosure of Invention

A medical system is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the medical system including a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and including catheter electrodes configured to contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of the heart; a display; and processing circuitry configured to receive the signal from the catheter and to sample voltage values of the signal at respective sampling times in response to the signal; calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) respective locations of respective catheter electrodes, and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrodes at the respective locations at respective sampling times; and the corresponding three-dimensional surface is presented to the display over time.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit is configured to color the respective region of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto the plane, the processing circuitry is configured to calculate respective displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from respective ones of the projected locations of the respective ones of the catheter electrodes in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at respective ones of the sampled times, and the processing circuitry is configured to fit respective curved three-dimensional surfaces describing electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrodes at the respective ones of the sampled times in response to respective ones of the displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from the respective ones of the projected locations.

Further, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit is configured to color the respective areas of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the displacements.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit is configured to sample the voltage values of the signals at respective sampling times at a rate exceeding ten times per second and to present respective three-dimensional surfaces to the display over time, wherein a new one of the three-dimensional surfaces is displayed at least every tenth of a second, such that the presented three-dimensional surface provides an animation of the activation wave associated with electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the system interface is configured to receive user input to change a perspective of some of the three-dimensional surfaces, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to present some of the three-dimensional surfaces at different perspectives in response to the received user input.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the catheter includes a shaft having a distal end and a distal end assembly on which the catheter-electrode is disposed, and the respective positions of the respective catheter-electrodes are respective positions derived from a static computer model of the catheter.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected positions projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

Further, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the catheter includes a shaft having a distal end and a distal end assembly on which the catheter-electrode is disposed, and the processing circuitry is configured to calculate respective positions of the respective catheter-electrodes.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

There is also provided, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a medical method, including receiving a signal from a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and including catheter electrodes configured to contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of the heart; sampling a voltage value of a signal at a respective sampling time in response to the signal; calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) respective locations of respective catheter electrodes, and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrodes at the respective locations at respective sampling times; and the corresponding three-dimensional surface is presented to the display over time.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes coloring the respective region of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values.

Additionally, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto the plane, the method further includes calculating respective displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from respective ones of the projected locations of the respective ones of the catheter electrodes in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at respective ones of the sampling times, and fitting respective curved three-dimensional surfaces describing electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrodes at the respective ones of the sampling times in response to respective ones of the displacements, perpendicular to the plane, from respective ones of the projected locations.

Further, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes coloring the respective areas of the respective three-dimensional surfaces in response to respective ones of the displacements.

Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes sampling voltage values of the signals at respective sampling times at a rate exceeding ten times per second, wherein the presenting includes presenting respective three-dimensional surfaces to the display over time, wherein a new one of the three-dimensional surfaces is displayed at least every tenth of a second, such that the presented three-dimensional surfaces provide an animation of activation waves associated with electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes receiving user input to change a perspective of some of the three-dimensional surfaces, and presenting some of the three-dimensional surfaces at different perspectives in response to the received user input.

Further, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the catheter includes a shaft having a distal end and a distal end assembly on which the catheter-electrodes are disposed, and the respective positions of the respective catheter-electrodes are respective positions derived from a static computer model of the catheter.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected positions projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

In further accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the catheter includes a shaft having a distal end and a distal end assembly on which the catheter-electrode is disposed, and the method further includes calculating respective positions of the respective catheter-electrodes.

Still further in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the respective locations of the respective catheter electrodes are respective projected locations projected onto a plane perpendicular to an axis of the shaft.

There is also provided, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a software product including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions stored therein, which instructions, when read by a Central Processing Unit (CPU), cause the CPU to receive a signal from a catheter configured to be inserted into a chamber of a heart of a living subject and including catheter electrodes configured to contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of the heart; sampling a voltage value of the signal at a corresponding sampling time in response to the signal; calculating a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at respective ones of the sampling times in response to: (a) respective locations of respective catheter electrodes, and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrodes at the respective locations at respective sampling times; and the corresponding three-dimensional surface is presented to the display over time.

Drawings

The present invention will be understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, partially block diagram view of a cardiac analysis system constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2B are schematic diagrams illustrating projected positions of electrodes to a plane for use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of intracardiac signals sampled in the system of FIG. 1;

4A-4F are schematic diagrams of a curved three-dimensional surface depicting electrical activity presented by the system of FIG. 1; and is

FIG. 5 is a flow chart including steps in a method of operation of the system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

SUMMARY

Due to the electrode tableHow to distribute, from a complex manifold of catheters (e.g. Biosense Webster, Inc., Irvine, Calif. USA)Catheter, or basket catheter) or linear catheters where the electrical activity signals of multiple electrodes are presented in an intuitive manner for the physician. Demonstrating electrical activity in a two-dimensional (2D) list, such as showing multiple Intracardiac Electrograms (IEGM), does not reflect the geometry of the catheter.

Embodiments of the present invention address the above-mentioned problems by providing a three-dimensional (3D) presentation that includes respective curved three-dimensional surfaces that describe electrical activity of tissue on a catheter electrode at respective sampling times.

Intracardiac (IC) signals received from electrodes of a catheter are collected and sampled at different sampling times. The electrical activity of the catheter electrode at one of the sampling times is plotted on the 3D presentation as a curved 3D surface. The 3D presentation may be defined by three axes (x, y and z) or any other suitable coordinate system. The x-axis and y-axis indicate the 2D position of the electrodes of the catheter (e.g., by projecting the electrode positions onto a plane defined by the x-axis and y-axis). The z-axis indicates the voltage of the electrical activity captured by the electrode at the sampling time. The curved 3D surface is calculated by fitting the 3D surface to data points defined by x-y coordinates of the electrode position of the catheter electrode and the corresponding z-coordinate of the sampled voltage. The fitting of the 3D surface may be performed by interpolation (and optionally extrapolation) between the data points described above. A region of the 3D surface may optionally be colored according to a voltage level associated with the region.

The 3D presentation may be static (e.g., for a single sample time) or may be dynamic (e.g., video), showing how electrical activity moves as an activation wave on the electrodes of the catheter, thereby providing a useful diagnostic tool for the physician.

Any suitable catheter may be used in the embodiments described above, for example, a multiple strip catheter (e.g., of Biosense Webster, inc., Irvine, CA USA)A catheter or a basket catheter) or other multi-electrode catheter (e.g., a balloon catheter or a lasso catheter).

A catheter is inserted into a heart chamber of a living subject. The catheter may include a shaft having a distal end and a distal end assembly on which the catheter electrode is disposed. The catheter electrodes contact tissue at respective locations within the heart chamber. The processing circuit receives a signal from the catheter and, in response to the signal, samples a voltage value of the signal at a respective sampling time.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry calculates the respective positions of the respective catheter electrodes, for example, in response to signals received from a position transducer (such as one or more position sensors of the catheter or an externally placed sensor).

In other embodiments, the positions of the respective catheter electrodes used in the calculations described below are derived from a static computer model of the catheter. For example, if the catheter used is a multi-strip catheter with deflectable splines, even though the splines actually deflect at the respective sampling times, the positions used in the calculations described below may be based on the positions of the deflectable splines in the non-deflected positions.

Whether the position is calculated from the received signal or signals or derived from a static computer model or any other suitable source, the position of the catheter electrode is typically a projected position projected onto a plane (e.g., the x-y axis described above). In some embodiments, the plane is perpendicular to the axis of the shaft of the catheter.

The processing circuitry calculates a respective curved three-dimensional surface that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at a respective one of the sampling times. It should be noted that any one of the three-dimensional surfaces describes electrical activity for a corresponding one of the sample times rather than a plurality of sample times. The sampled voltages at different sampling times produce different three-dimensional surfaces. Computing a three-dimensional surface in response to: (a) respective positions (e.g., two-dimensional position coordinates) of respective catheter electrodes; and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrode at respective locations (on the tissue) at respective sampling times. For example, a three-dimensional surface is computed in response to: (a) respective positions (e.g., two-dimensional position coordinates) of respective catheter electrodes; and (b) a respective sampled voltage value sampled at one of the respective sampling times.

In some embodiments, the processing circuit colorizes the respective region of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry calculates respective displacements from respective projection locations of the respective catheter electrodes that are perpendicular to the plane (e.g., away from the x-y axis along the z-axis) in response to the respective sampled voltage values in the respective sampling times. When using a cartesian coordinate system, each displacement provides a z-axis coordinate. For example, the displacement z is calculated from the sampled voltage sampled at time t1 of the signal sensed by the electrode number n of the catheter_n. The electrode number n has a position coordinate x on a plane defined by the x-y axis_n,y_n. Thus, the data point for electrode number n at time t1 in the 3D presentation has coordinate x_n,y_n,z_n. The processing circuitry fits, in response to respective calculated displacements from respective ones of the projection locations perpendicular to the plane, respective curved three-dimensional surfaces describing electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode at respective sampling times, e.g., according to data points in a coordinate system representing electrical activity of each of the electrodes. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry renders the respective regions of the respective three-dimensional surface in response to respective ones of the displacements.

The processing circuitry is configured to present the respective three-dimensional surface to the display over time. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry presents the respective three-dimensional surfaces to the display over time, wherein a new one of the three-dimensional surfaces is displayed sufficiently frequently (e.g., at least every tenth of a second) such that the presented three-dimensional surface provides an animation of activation waves associated with electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode.

The user interface may receive user input to change the perspective of the three-dimensional surfaces, which may then be presented at different perspectives in response to the received user input.

Description of the System

Reference is now made to fig. 1, which is a partially pictorial, partially block diagram view of a cardiac analysis system 10 constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Turning now to the drawings, reference is first made to FIG. 1, which is an pictorial illustration of a cardiac analysis system 10 for calculating and evaluating electrical activity and optionally for performing an ablation procedure on a heart 12 of a living subject, constructed and operative in accordance with a disclosed embodiment of the invention. The system includes a catheter 14, such as a catheter that is percutaneously inserted by an operator 16 through the vascular system of the patient into a chamber or vascular structure of the heart 12. An operator 16 (typically a physician) contacts the distal tip 18 of the catheter 14 to the heart wall, for example, at an ablation target site to capture electrical potentials over time at a plurality of sampling locations on the surface of one or more chambers of the heart 12. The electrical activity maps may be prepared according to the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. nos. 6,226,542, 6,301,496, and 6,892,091. One commercial product embodying the elements of system 10 is3 available from Biosense Webster, Inc. The system may be modified by those skilled in the art to embody the principles of the invention described herein.

Regions determined to be abnormal, for example, by evaluation of an electrical activity map, may be ablated by applying thermal energy, for example, by conducting radio frequency electrical current through a lead in a catheter to one or more electrodes at the distal tip 18, which apply radio frequency energy to the myocardium. Energy is absorbed in the tissue, heating the tissue to a temperature (typically about 50 ℃) at which the tissue permanently loses its electrical excitability. After this procedure is successful, nonconductive foci form in the heart tissue that can interrupt the abnormal electrical pathway leading to the arrhythmia. The principles of the present invention may be applied to different heart chambers to diagnose and treat a variety of different arrhythmias.

The catheter 14 generally includes a handle 20 with suitable controls thereon to enable the operator 16 to manipulate, position and orient the distal tip 18 of the catheter 14 as needed for ablation. To assist the operator 16, the distal portion of the catheter 14 includes position sensors (not shown) that provide signals to processing circuitry 22 located in a console 24. Processing circuitry 22 may implement several processing functions as described below.

Ablation energy and electrical signals may be transmitted back and forth between heart 12 and console 24 via cable 34 through catheter electrode 32 at or near distal tip 18. In this manner, the electrodes 32 are configured to bring tissue at the respective locations into contact with the chambers of the heart 12 and capture electrical potentials over time at the respective locations. Additionally or alternatively, other electrodes may be configured to capture electrical potentials over time at multiple sampling locations on the surface of one or more chambers of heart 12. Pacing signals and other control signals may be communicated from console 24 to heart 12 via cable 34 and electrodes 32. Catheter 14 may be implemented without ablation capability as an exploratory device having electrodes configured to capture electrical potentials over time at a plurality of sampling locations on the surface of one or more chambers of heart 12.

A lead connection 35 couples the console 24 with the body surface electrodes 30 and other components of the positioning subsystem for measuring the position and orientation coordinates of the catheter 14. Processing circuitry 22 or another processor (not shown) may be an element of the positioning subsystem. The electrodes 32 and body surface electrodes 30 may be used to measure tissue impedance at the ablation site, as taught in U.S. patent 7,536,218. A sensor for bioelectrical information, such as a temperature sensor (not shown), typically a thermocouple or thermistor, may be mounted on or near each of the electrodes 32.

The console 24 typically contains one or more ablation power generators 25. The catheter 14 may be adapted to conduct ablation energy to the heart using any known ablation technique, such as radio frequency energy, ultrasound energy, and laser-generated light energy. Such methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. nos. 6,814,733, 6,997,924, and 7,156,816.

In one embodiment, the positioning subsystem includes a magnetic position tracking arrangement that determines the position and orientation of the catheter 14 by generating magnetic fields in a predetermined working space with the magnetic field generating coils 28 and sensing these magnetic fields at the catheter 14. The positioning subsystem is described in us patents 7,756,576 and 7,536,218.

As described above, catheter 14 is coupled to console 24, which enables operator 16 to observe and manipulate the functions of catheter 14. The processing circuitry 22 may be embodied as a computer with appropriate signal processing circuitry. The processing circuitry 22 is coupled to drive a display 29 including a display screen 37. The signal processing circuitry may receive, amplify, filter, and digitize signals from catheter 14, including signals generated by sensors such as electrical sensors, temperature sensors, and contact force sensors, and position sensing electrodes (not shown) located distal to catheter 14. The console 24 and positioning subsystem receive and use the digitized signals to calculate the position and orientation of the catheter 14 and analyze the electrical signals from the electrodes.

To generate the electro-anatomical map, the processing circuitry 22 typically includes an electro-anatomical map generator, an image registration program, an image or data analysis program, and a graphical user interface configured to present graphical information on the display 29.

In implementation, some or all of these functions of processing circuitry 22 may be combined in a single physical component or, alternatively, implemented using multiple physical components. These physical components may include hardwired or programmable devices, or a combination of both. In some implementations, at least some of the functions of the processing circuitry may be implemented by a programmable processor under the control of suitable software. The software may be downloaded to the device in electronic form, over a network, for example. Alternatively or in addition, the software may be stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical, magnetic, or electronic memory.

The console 24 may also include an interface 39 for receiving input commands from the operator 16 via any suitable user input device, such as, but not limited to, a pointing device (e.g., a mouse such as a stylus), a keyboard, and/or a touch-sensitive screen implemented in the display screen 37.

Typically, the system 10 includes other elements, but are not shown in the drawings for simplicity. For example, the system 10 may include an Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor coupled to receive signals from the body surface electrodes 30 in order to provide ECG synchronization signals to the console 24. As mentioned above, the system 10 also typically includes a reference position sensor located on an external reference patch attached to the outside of the subject's body or on an indwelling catheter that is inserted into the heart 12 and held in a fixed position relative to the heart 12. Conventional pumps and conduits for circulating fluid through the catheter 14 to cool the ablation site may be provided. System 10 may receive image data from an external imaging modality, such as an MRI unit or the like, and include an image processor, which may be incorporated in processing circuitry 22 or invoked by processing circuitry 22 for generating and displaying images.

Reference is now made to fig. 2A-2B, which are schematic diagrams illustrating the projected position of electrode 32 onto plane 40 for use in system 10 of fig. 1. The catheter 14 shown in fig. 2A includes a shaft 44 having a distal end 62, and a distal tip assembly 64 comprising a plurality of splines on which the electrodes 32 are disposed. Any suitable distal end assembly may be used, such as, but not limited to, a basket distal end assembly, a balloon distal end assembly, or a lasso distal end assembly.

FIG. 2A shows electrodes 42-1, 42-2 projected onto plane 40 by projection in a direction perpendicular to plane 40 and parallel to axis 45 of shaft 44 of catheter 14, respectively, electrodes 32-1 and 32-2. The electrodes 32 may be projected onto the plane 40 in any suitable direction. Fig. 2B shows the projected positions 42 (only some labeled for simplicity) of all electrodes 32 of the catheter 14. The position 42-1 of the electrode 32-1 has coordinates x1, y1 in the plane 40, which are defined as lying on the x and y axes.

Reference is now made to fig. 3, which is a schematic illustration of an Intracardiac (IC) signal 46 sampled in the system 20 of fig. 1. The corresponding IC signal 46 is received from the corresponding electrode 32 (fig. 1). FIG. 3 shows an exemplary signal 46 received from electrode 32-1 (FIG. 2A). Fig. 3 shows signal 46 sampled at 1200 milliseconds corresponding to a voltage of about-0.1 millivolts. Similarly, in this example, signals received from other electrodes 32 are also sampled at 1200 milliseconds to find the voltages of other electrodes 32.

Reference is now made to fig. 4A, which is a schematic diagram depicting a curved three-dimensional surface 48 of electrical activity presented by the system 10 of fig. 1. Fig. 4A shows some locations 42 of the projection of the electrode 32 (fig. 2A) onto the plane 40, which lie on the x-y axis 58. For example, the location 42-1 of the electrode 32-1 (FIG. 2A) on the plane 40 is shown. The sampled voltage at time 1200 milliseconds for electrode 32-1 is-0.1 millivolts, as shown in FIG. 3. Data point 50-1 of three-dimensional surface 48 is derived from location 42-1 and the associated sampled voltage of-0.1 volts. Displacement 52-1 of data point 50-1 from plane 40 in a direction perpendicular to plane 40 (e.g., along z-axis 60) is calculated based on the sampled voltage of electrode 32-1 at time 1200 milliseconds. Similarly, respective data points 50 (only some shown for simplicity) are calculated based on the respective projection locations 42 and the calculated respective displacements 52. Three-dimensional surface 48 is fitted to data points 50 using any suitable surface fitting method, which may include interpolation and optionally extrapolation based on data points 50. Fig. 4A shows an x-y axis 58 and a z axis 60 labeled with appropriate displacement units and voltage units, respectively.

Regions 54 of three-dimensional surface 48 have been colored with different colors depending on the voltage values associated with regions 54. For example, region 54-1 may be red and region 54-2 may be yellow. Fig. 4A includes a legend 56 that provides a mapping between color and voltage values.

Reference is now made to fig. 4B-4F, which are schematic diagrams depicting a curved three-dimensional surface 48 of electrical activity presented by the system 10 of fig. 1. The three-dimensional surface 48 shown in fig. 4B represents electrical activity on the electrode 32 (fig. 2A) at another sampling time (e.g., at a sampling time of 1250 milliseconds). Fig. 4C shows more of the top of one of the three-dimensional surfaces 48. Fig. 4D shows one of the three-dimensional surfaces 48 directly above, such that the z-axis is not even visible. Fig. 4E and 4F are additional examples of three-dimensional surfaces 48.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow chart 70 is shown that includes steps in a method of operation of the system 10 of FIG. 1.

A catheter is inserted (block 72) into a chamber of a heart 12 (fig. 1) of a living subject. Respective catheter electrodes 32 (fig. 2A) contact tissue at respective locations within the chamber of heart 12. Some of the catheter electrodes 32 may be in contact with tissue while other electrodes 32 are not in contact with tissue. In some cases, all of the electrodes 32 may be in contact with tissue.

The processing circuitry 22 (fig. 1) is configured to receive the signal 46 (fig. 3) from the catheter 14 (fig. 1) (block 74), and in response to the signal 46, sample voltage values of the signal 46 at respective sampling times (block 76), calculate a respective curved three-dimensional surface 48 (fig. 4A-4F), and present the three-dimensional surface 48 to the display 29. These steps are described in more detail below.

The signal 46 for each electrode 32 is typically sampled at each respective sampling time. In some embodiments, the processing circuit is configured to sample the voltage value of the signal 46 at a rate of more than ten times per second at respective sampling times. In other embodiments, the sampling rate is less than or equal to ten times per second.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 22 is configured to calculate the respective locations 42 (fig. 2A-2B) of the respective catheter electrodes 32 (block 78), e.g., in response to at least one signal received from a location transducer (not shown), which may be part of the catheter and/or part of an external device, such as a body patch or external location sensor. In other embodiments, the respective locations 42 of the respective catheter electrodes 32 used in the calculations described below are the respective locations 42 derived from a static computer model of the catheter 14.

The respective locations 42 of the respective catheter electrodes 32 may be respective projected locations 42 projected onto the plane 40 (fig. 2A-2B). In some embodiments, the respective location 42 of the respective catheter electrode 32 is the respective projected location 42 projected onto a plane 40 that is perpendicular to an axis 45 of the shaft 44 (fig. 2A-2B).

The processing circuitry 22 is configured to calculate a corresponding curved three-dimensional surface 48 (fig. 4A-4F) (block 80) that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode 32 at a respective one of the sampling times. It should be noted that any one of the three-dimensional surfaces 48 describes electrical activity for one of the sample times rather than multiple sample times. The sampled voltages at different sampling times produce different three-dimensional surfaces 48. The three-dimensional surface 48 is calculated in response to: (a) a respective location 42 (e.g., represented by two-dimensional coordinates) of a respective catheter electrode 32; and (b) respective sampled voltage values indicative of electrical activity of tissue sensed by the respective catheter electrode 32 at respective locations (on the tissue) at respective sampling times.

In some embodiments, processing circuitry 22 is configured to calculate respective displacements 52 (fig. 4A) perpendicular to plane 40 (fig. 4A) from respective ones 42 of the projected locations 42 of the respective ones of catheter electrodes 32 in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at respective ones of the sampling times (block 82). Displacement 52 (in z-axis 60 (fig. 4A)) from position 42 (in x-y-axis 58 (fig. 4A)) defines data point 50 (fig. 4A) having x, y, z coordinates. The processing circuitry 22 is configured to fit (block 84) a respective curved three-dimensional surface 48 that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode 32 at respective ones of the sampling times in response to respective ones of the displacements 52 from respective ones of the projection locations 42 that are perpendicular to the plane 40. In other words, the processing circuitry 22 is configured to fit a respective curved three-dimensional surface 48 that describes the electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode 32 at a respective one of the sampling times in response to a respective one of the data points 50 (e.g., having x, y, z coordinates). For example, for one three-dimensional surface 48, processing circuitry 22 is configured to calculate, in response to respective ones of the sampled voltage values at one sampling time, respective displacements 52 (fig. 4A) perpendicular to plane 40 (fig. 4A) from respective ones of the projected locations 42 of the respective ones of the catheter electrodes 32, thereby producing respective data points 50, and to fit, in response to respective ones of the displacements 52 (i.e., data points 50), a curved three-dimensional surface 48 that describes electrical activity of tissue on the catheter electrode 32 at the sampling time.

Processing circuitry 22 is configured to present respective three-dimensional surfaces 48 to display 29 (fig. 1) over time (block 86). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 22 is configured to present respective three-dimensional surfaces 48 to display 29 over time, wherein a new one of three-dimensional surfaces 48 (e.g., corresponding to the next sampling time) is displayed at least every tenth of a second, such that presented three-dimensional surfaces 48 provide an animation of activation waves associated with electrical activity of tissue on catheter electrode 32. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 22 is configured to present respective three-dimensional surfaces 48 to display 29 over time, wherein a new one of three-dimensional surfaces 48 is displayed at a rate of less than every tenth of a second.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured to color (block 88) the respective region 54 (fig. 4A) of the respective three-dimensional surface 48 in response to a respective one of the sampled voltage values or a respective one of the displacements 52 (fig. 4A).

Interface 39 (fig. 1) is configured to receive user input (block 90) to change the perspective of some of three-dimensional surfaces 48. Processing circuitry 22 is configured to present some of three-dimensional surfaces 48 at different perspectives in response to the received user input (block 92).

As used herein, the term "about" or "approximately" for any numerical value or range indicates a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the component or collection of elements to achieve its intended purpose as described herein. More specifically, "about" or "approximately" may refer to a range of values ± 20% of the recited value, e.g., "about 90%" may refer to a range of values from 71% to 99%.

Various features of the invention which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

The embodiments described above are cited by way of example, and the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove, as well as variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed in the prior art.