Medical projector

Abstract

This invention provides a medical projector that can directly project surgical support images onto the surface of an object. [Solution] A projected image 15 can be created on the surface image of the brain 4 displayed on the monitor 11 based on user operation, and this projected image 15 can be projected onto the actual surface of the brain 4 in a state that matches the position of the object in the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor 11 by using a positioning image 17. Therefore, the doctor 5 does not need to look at the monitor 11 and can perform medical procedures and surgeries while referring to the projected image 15 projected onto the brain 4. Since the positioning image 17 is the outline 18 of the brain 4, by matching the positioning image 17 projected from the projection unit 16 to the outline 18 of the brain 4, the position of the projected image 15 on the surface of the brain 4 can be made to match the position displayed on the monitor 11.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a medical projector.

Background Art

[0002] In neurosurgery and the like, there is known a technique of imaging the surface of the brain as an object with a camera, displaying the captured surface image of the brain on a monitor, and superimposing and displaying an arbitrary image for surgical support on the surface image of the brain displayed on the monitor. Known superimposed images include visualized fluorescence images, CT, MRI images, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such conventional techniques, the image for surgical support is only displayed on the monitor and cannot be directly displayed on the surface of the object. Therefore, the doctor sometimes had to look away from the object in order to look at the monitor.

[0005] The present invention has been made by paying attention to such conventional techniques, and an object thereof is to provide a medical projector capable of directly projecting an image for surgical support onto the surface of an object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first technical aspect of the present invention, the medical projector is characterized by comprising: a camera that captures a surface image of an object; a monitor that displays the surface image of the object captured by the camera; an image creation unit that creates an arbitrary projection image on the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor based on user operation and obtains a positioning image extracted from the shape of the object on the surface image of the object; a projection unit that projects the projection image and the positioning image onto the surface of the object; an optical unit that aligns the projection direction of the projection image and the positioning image in the projection unit with the optical axis of the camera; and a control unit that controls the projection unit based on user operation and aligns the position of the projection image on the surface of the object with the position in the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor by using the positioning image.

[0007] According to a second technical aspect of the present invention, the alignment image is characterized in that it is the contour of an object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the first technical aspect of the present invention, an arbitrary projection image can be created on the surface image of an object displayed on a monitor based on user operation, and this projection image can be projected onto the actual object's surface in a manner that matches its position in the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor by using a positioning image. Therefore, doctors do not need to look at the monitor and can perform medical procedures or surgeries while referring to the projection image projected onto the object's surface.

[0009] According to a second technical aspect of the present invention, since the alignment image is the contour of the object, by matching the alignment image projected from the projection unit to the contour of the object, the position of the projected image on the surface of the object can be made to match the position in the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A side view showing a doctor performing surgery on a patient's brain. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing a medical projector and monitor. [Figure 3] This diagram shows electrodes being used to locate functional areas of the brain. [Figure 4] This diagram is equivalent to Figure 3, showing the state after creating one projected image. [Figure 5] This figure, equivalent to Figure 3, shows the completed map of the projected image. [Figure 6] This figure shows projection images extracted from brain surface images on a monitor, along with alignment images. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the process of projecting a projection image and an alignment image onto the surface of the brain. [Figure 8] A diagram showing how a projection image is projected onto the surface of the brain. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Figures 1 to 8 show preferred embodiments of the present invention. In these embodiments, brain tumor surgery performed while the patient is awake will be used as an example.

[0012] Patient 1 is placed on an operating table 2, and its head 3 is opened, exposing the brain 4, which is the object of the surgery. Doctor 5 stands close to patient 1 and performs surgery on the brain 4. Above patient 1's head 3, a medical projector 6 is supported by a support arm 7. A camera 8 is installed inside the medical projector 6. The image sensor of the camera 8 is a CCD image sensor, and via a beam splitter, which is an optical unit 9 located below it, it is possible to image the surface of patient 1's brain 4.

[0013] The image of the brain surface 4 captured by camera 8 is displayed on monitor 11 via control unit 10. The reflected light 12 from the surface of brain 4 passes through optical unit 9 along the optical axis of camera 8. The amount of light is reduced by half as it passes through optical unit 9, but by adjusting the sensitivity of the image sensor in camera 8, a clear image of the brain surface 4 can be captured.

[0014] The monitor 11 is connected to an image creation unit 13, and the image creation unit 13 is connected to an operation unit 14. The operation unit 14 is composed of a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The image creation unit 13 is also connected to the control unit 10. By the user (such as an assistant) operating the operation unit 14, the image creation unit 13 can create an arbitrary projection image 15 superimposed on the surface image of the brain 4 displayed on the monitor 11. The projection image 15 can be any image such as numbers, letters, symbols, visualized fluorescence images, CT or MRI images, etc., and such images can be processed into arbitrary shapes, sizes, and colors. In this embodiment, alphabetic characters are used as the projection image 15.

[0015] Inside the medical projector 6, a projection unit 16 is installed at a position corresponding to the optical unit 9. This projection unit 16 can emit the projection image 15 and the alignment image 17 created by the image creation unit 13 toward the optical unit 9.

[0016] In this embodiment, only the contour 18 of the brain 4 displayed on the monitor 11 is extracted and used as the alignment image 17 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The projection image 15 and the alignment image 17 emitted from the projection unit 16 are reflected downward by the optical unit 9 to be in a state along the optical axis of the camera 8 and projected onto the surface of the brain 4.

[0017] In an awake surgery, it is necessary to examine in advance where the important functions such as the movement, sensation, and language of the brain 4 are located. As a method of examination, since the patient 1 is in an awake state, the doctor 5 applies the electrode 19 to the surface of the brain 4 while talking to the patient 1 to search for the position of the important function (see FIG. 3). The state of searching for the function with the electrode 19 is imaged by the camera 8 and displayed on the monitor 11, so the assistant can share the state of the doctor 5's search for the functional part on the monitor 11.

[0018] When there is a function in the part where the electrode 19 is applied, at the instruction of the doctor 5, the assistant operates the operation unit 14, and the image creation unit 13 creates alphabetic characters as the projection image 15 at the corresponding part on the surface image of the brain 4 on the monitor 11 (see Fig. 4). This operation is repeated to create a map of functions with a plurality of alphabetic characters (projection images 15) on the surface image of the brain 4 displayed on the monitor 11 (see Fig. 5).

[0019] When the map is completed, next, the control unit 10 extracts the projection image 15 and the contour 18 of the brain 4 as the alignment image 17 from the surface image of the brain 4 displayed on the monitor 11 (see Fig. 6), and emits them from the projection unit 16. Each of the images 15 and 17 emitted from the projection unit 16 is reflected downward by the optical unit 9 and projected onto the surface of the brain 4 (see Fig. 7).

[0020] At this time, since both the imaging direction by the camera 8 and the projection direction of each of the images 15 and 17 coincide with each other along the optical axis of the camera 8, the interval ratio between the plurality of projection images 15 and the interval ratio between the projection image 15 and the alignment image 17 do not change due to projection.

[0021] Although the interval ratio of the projection images 15 is correct, at the first stage when projected onto the surface of the brain 4, it does not completely coincide with the position displayed on the monitor 11. Therefore, the control unit 10 detects the actual contour 18 of the brain 4 and the projected alignment image 17, and changes the position, orientation, and size of the alignment image 17 to match the alignment image 17 with the actual contour 18 of the brain 4 (see Fig. 8).

[0022] By doing so, the position of the projection image 15 on the actual surface of the brain 4 will coincide with the position in the surface image of the object displayed on the monitor 11. Since the projection image 15 projected onto the surface of the brain 4 is an important functional part, the doctor 5 can surely remove the lesion in a wider range while avoiding it, and can prevent the remaining of the lesion.

[0023] Because Doctor 5 can perform surgery by only looking at the actual surface of the brain 4 and based on the map of the projected image 15 projected onto it, it is easier to perform surgery without having to turn the face towards the monitor 11 as in conventional methods. Moreover, since the projected image 15 is a projected intangible object, the projected image 15 will not shift during surgery.

[0024] In the above embodiment, a linear alignment image 17 corresponding to the contour 18 of the brain 4 was used as an example. However, even if the image is not linear, multiple reference points set within the contour 18 may be used as alignment images, and by aligning them with the same points in the actual contour 18, the projected image 15 may be made to match the position displayed on the monitor 11.

[0025] Furthermore, the projected image 15 is not limited to alphabetical characters, but may also include other characters, symbols, numbers, or various medical information images. Also, the target object is not limited to the brain 4, but may be any part of the body, and a projected image corresponding to that part can be created and projected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] 1 patient 3 head 4. Brain (object) 5 Doctor 6. Medical projectors 8 cameras 9 Optics Department 10 Control Unit 11 monitors 13 Image Creation Section 14 Control section 15 Projection Image 16 Projection section 17. Alignment image 18 Outline

Claims

1. A camera that captures an image of the surface of the object, A monitor that displays the surface image of the object captured by the camera, An image creation unit that creates an arbitrary projection image on the surface image of an object displayed on a monitor based on user operation and obtains an alignment image extracted from the shape of the object on the surface image of the object, A projection unit that projects a projected image and an alignment image onto the surface of an object, An optical unit that aligns the projection direction of the projected image and alignment image in the projection unit with the optical axis of the camera, A control unit controls the projection unit based on user input and matches the position of the projected image on the surface of the object with the position of the object in the surface image displayed on the monitor by using an alignment image. A medical projector characterized by having the following features.

2. The medical projector according to claim 1, characterized in that the alignment image is the outline of the object.

Images