Augmented Reality Surgical Guidance System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures face challenges in accurately guiding surgical tools and implants due to the lack of precise real-time feedback and the need for multiple physical guides, which can complicate surgeries and increase the risk of errors.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses augmented reality to overlay virtual surgical guides and tools onto the surgeon's field of view, aligning them with real-time images of the patient's anatomy, allowing for precise placement of surgical instruments and implants by projecting custom virtual anatomical models and surgical trajectories onto the surgeon's AR device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple physical guides are used to guide surgical tools and implants, then surgical guidance accuracy can be improved, but device complexity and the risk of errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the patient's anatomy through 3D imaging and reconstruction, allowing surgical guides to be projected as virtual overlays rather than requiring multiple physical guides. This virtual model can be repeatedly referenced without adding physical complexity to the surgical field.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of multiple physical surgical guides with an optical/digital system that projects virtual guidance information onto the surgeon's field of view through AR devices, eliminating the need for complex physical guide structures.
2Ease of operation
If multiple physical guides are used during surgery, then surgical guidance can be provided, but the surgical environment becomes more complex and error risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback by continuously tracking the position of surgical tools and updating the virtual guidance overlays accordingly, allowing the surgeon to see immediate feedback on tool placement accuracy without the need for multiple physical reference guides.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual guidance system serves multiple functions simultaneously - providing anatomical reference, tool trajectory guidance, implant placement guidance, and real-time feedback - all through a single integrated system rather than requiring separate physical guides for each function.
3Manufacturing precision
If real-time feedback is implemented through augmented reality, then surgical precision is improved, but the need for processing and displaying information increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the imaging system, processing system, and display system into an integrated AR workflow where the same device that captures surgical field images also processes the virtual guidance information and displays it through the AR headset, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
One variation of a method for augmenting a surgical field with virtual guidance content includes: accessing a scan representing a tissue of a patient; combining the scan with a generic virtual anatomical model to define a custom virtual anatomical model of the tissue; defining a cut trajectory along an intersection between a virtual model of a surgical implant and the custom virtual anatomical model of the tissue; aligning a virtual cut surface to the cut trajectory to locate the virtual model of the surgical guide relative to the custom virtual anatomical model; accessing an image of a surgical field; detecting the tissue in the image; aligning the custom virtual anatomical model to the tissue detected in the image; defining a target real location for a real surgical guide in the surgical field; and generating a frame depicting the target real location of the surgical guide in the surgical field.