Intravascular palpation and haptic feedback during angioplasty

Within the HapCath - haptic catheter - project an assistive system for interventional catheterizations has been developed. Conventional navigation during catheterization is done by direct manipulation of a handle at a guide wire's proximal end. With the aid of x-ray imaging the corresponding movement of the distal tip within the patient can be monitored. Depending on the practical experience of the medical expert and on the varying complexity of the treatment, the procedure differs in duration and x-ray exposure dose of up to 300 %. The aim of the HapCath-System is to reduce duration and exposure dose by simplifying the procedure. The implemented method is to measure the contact forces at the distal tip of the guide wire and feed these measured forces back onto the proximal end of the guide wire to enable tactile feedback and allow for haptic control of the guide wire. The system gives exact measures for the contact force of the guide wire's tip and vessel walls to the physician. The demonstration system of HapCath includes an artificial artery system, within these the user will be able to maneuver the haptic guide wire and will be able to recognize different types of plaques by touching the calcifications with the guide wire tip. The system is set up to experience different levels of haptic assistance. The discrete tasks of catheterizations can be performed with visual or haptic feedback either, or with visual and haptic feedback simultaneously.