Auxiliary Image Overlay in Medical Robotic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical robotic systems lack effective methods for displaying and manipulating auxiliary images concurrently with primary images during minimally invasive surgical procedures, which limits the surgeon's ability to gain comprehensive insights necessary for precise and efficient surgery.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow a selected portion of an auxiliary image to be overlaid as an overlay on a primary image on a computer display screen, using a movable window positioned by a pointing device, with the auxiliary image registered to match the primary image's position and orientation, enabling enhanced visualization and manipulation of anatomic structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If auxiliary images are displayed concurrently with primary images during minimally invasive surgical procedures, then the surgeon's ability to gain comprehensive insights is improved, but the display complexity and information integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the auxiliary image display into multiple selectable portions or regions that can be independently controlled. The surgeon can choose to display specific sections of auxiliary images (such as different imaging modalities or anatomical regions) rather than the entire auxiliary image, reducing display complexity while maintaining comprehensive insights through selective information presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent overlays auxiliary image portions onto the primary image in a multi-layered display arrangement. By using multiple display layers (primary image layer and auxiliary image overlay layer), the system integrates comprehensive information vertically in the display dimension rather than requiring separate display areas, thus reducing overall display complexity while maintaining information completeness.
2Measurement precision
If multiple imaging sources and modalities are integrated in real-time, then the precision and effectiveness of procedures is enhanced, but the system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple imaging sources and modalities into a single integrated display system. By merging ultrasound images, fluoroscopic images, and other imaging modalities with the primary surgical video feed, the system achieves comprehensive real-time visualization that enhances surgical precision without requiring multiple separate display systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs image processing and registration algorithms as intermediaries to integrate multiple imaging modalities. These computational intermediaries align and coordinate different imaging sources in real-time, managing the complexity of multi-source integration while delivering precise, synchronized visual information to the surgeon.
3Loss of information
If auxiliary images are overlaid on primary images, then the visualization of anatomic structures is improved, but the difficulty of image registration and alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements image registration algorithms that use feedback mechanisms to automatically align auxiliary images with primary images. The system continuously monitors and adjusts the positioning, scaling, and orientation of overlaid auxiliary images based on detected anatomical landmarks and spatial relationships, reducing the difficulty of manual registration while maintaining high visualization quality.
Data Source
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AI summary
To assist a surgeon performing a medical procedure, auxiliary images generally indicating internal details of an anatomic structure being treated are displayed and manipulated by the surgeon on a computer display screen to supplement primary images generally of an external view of the anatomic structure. A master input device controlling a robotic arm in a first mode may be switched by the surgeon to a second mode in order to function instead as a mouse-like pointing device to facilitate the surgeon performing such auxiliary information display and manipulation.