A route selection assistance system, a recording medium on which a route selection assistance program is recorded, a route selection assistance method, and a diagnosis method that enable easy selection of a route of a living body lumen for delivering a medical instrument to a site within a living body via the living body lumen. A route selection assistance system includes: a receiving section configured to receive an input of site information specifying a target site; an image obtaining section configured to obtain image information on a living body of a target patient; a route extracting section configured to extract a plurality of routes of a living body lumen; a ranking assigning section configured to assign rankings to the plurality of routes extracted by the route extracting section; and an output section configured to output the plurality of routes extracted and the rankings assigned by the ranking assigning section.

A system for assisting in performing an interventional procedure includes a first subsystem (1) and a second subsystem at different places, especially in different rooms. At a first place the first subsystem a) generates a first image of a subject (22) while an interventional device (12) is introduced into the subject and b) determines the position of the interventional device within the subject. At a second place the second subsystem a) generates a second image of the subject with the introduced interventional device and b) plans and/or monitors a treatment based on the second image and the already determined position of the interventional device, i.e. the second subsystem does not need to start a completely new position determination procedure, thereby reducing technical efforts. Moreover, the first and second images are generated by different imaging modalities which allows for, for instance, improved image guidance, planning and/or monitoring.

In general, devices, systems, and methods for control of one visualization with another are provided.

A system for tracking an instrument with ultrasound includes a probe (122) for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy and a transducer (130) associated with the probe and configured to move with the probe during use. A medical instrument (102) includes a sensor (120) configured to respond to the ultrasonic energy received from the probe. A control module (124) is stored in memory and configured to interpret the ultrasonic energy received from the probe and the sensor to determine a three dimensional location of the medical instrument and to inject a signal to the probe from the transducer to highlight a position of the sensor in an image.

Systems, devices, and techniques are disclosed for automatically generating CPM matrices. The system includes a processor configured to receive a plurality of historical, sparse CPM matrices and a plurality of historical, supplemented CPM matrices, wherein each sparse CPM matrix is associated with a respective supplemented CPM matrix; train a learning system based on the plurality of historical, sparse CPM matrices and the plurality of historical, supplemented CPM matrices, wherein the learning system is trained so as to generate a supplemented CPM matrix given a sparse CPM matrix; receive, by the trained learning system, a new, sparse CPM matrix; and generate, with the trained learning system, a new supplemented CPM matrix.

A radial endobronchial ultrasound system providing localization of visualized lung lesions or nodules in the airways of a patient is provided herein. The system has three, main components: a guide sheath with a distal end, a flexible bronchoscope with a tip, and a radial endobronchial ultrasound probe. The guide sheath directs insertion of the bronchoscope into the patient, with the tip of the bronchoscope extending beyond the distal end of the guide sheath. The bronchoscope has an echogenic discrete marker formed inside and proximate its tip and a working channel configured to include and direct the probe. The probe is configured for insertion into the airways of the patient where the probe rotates to capture a 360-degree circumferential image perpendicular to the probe itself. The echogenic discrete marker on the bronchoscope provides a reference point for localization of the lung lesions or nodules visualized by the image.

A method is provided for navigating an endoscopic device through an anatomical luminal network of a patient. The method comprises: (a) commanding a distal tip of an articulating elongate member to move along a pre-determined path; (b) concurrent with (a), collecting positional sensor data and kinematics data; and (c) computing an estimated roll angle based on the positional sensor data and the kinematics data.

The invention provides devices with integrated intravascular imaging and methods for crossing a CTO within the true lumen of a vessel. An interventional catheter with intravascular imaging capabilities can be guided into an affected vessel and to a CTO. An included intravascular imaging device captures a 3D image of the environment. The catheter includes a crossing member that can be extended out from a distal tip of the catheter, causing the crossing member to directly cross through the CTO creating a new channel through the CTO.

Disclosed herein is a system for ablating and characterizing tissue. The system comprises an ablation element configured to emit ablative energy toward a tissue of interest, an imaging apparatus configured to emit energy and collect imaging data including reflected signals from the tissue of interest, and a characterization application. The characterization application comprises a signal analyzer for analyzing the imaging data and determining one or more signal properties from the reflected signals, and a correlation processor configured to associate the one or more signal properties to pre-determined tissue signal properties of different tissue components through a pattern recognition technique. The pre-determined tissue signal properties are embodied in a database, and the correlation processor is configured to identify a tissue component and an ablation level of the tissue of interest based on the pattern recognition technique.

Ablation and visualization systems and methods to access quality of contact between a catheter and tissue are provided. In some embodiments, a method for monitoring tissue ablation of the present disclosure comprises advancing a distal tip of an ablation catheter to a tissue in need of ablation; illuminating the tissue with UV light to excite NADH in the tissue, wherein the tissue is illuminated in a radial direction, an axial direction, or both; determining from a level of NADH fluorescence in the illuminated tissue when the distal tip of the catheter is in contact with the tissue; and delivering ablation energy to the tissue to form a lesion in the tissue.