Pathway Planning System for Bronchial Tree Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clinicians face difficulties in planning effective pathways through anatomical luminal networks, particularly in small bronchial branches, due to insufficient resolution in CT images, which can result in the medical device being oriented incorrectly, making it challenging to access targets in surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A pathway planning system using a computing device with a software module that guides clinicians through selecting patient data, adding targets, creating pathways, and reviewing plans, incorporating CT images from multiple directions to generate a 3D model of the bronchial tree, allowing for interactive rotation and waypoint selection to ensure the medical device is oriented correctly towards the target.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a fully automated pathway planning system is used, then the pathway can be automatically generated from target to entry point, but the medical device may reach the end of the pathway in an incorrect orientation where the working end is not oriented toward the target
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary orientation calculations during the pathway planning phase. The software module computes the optimal orientation of the medical device at each segment of the pathway in advance, storing this orientation information alongside the pathway geometry. This preliminary action ensures that when the device follows the planned pathway, it will automatically achieve the correct orientation at the target location without requiring manual adjustment during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that compare the planned device orientation with the actual device position and orientation during navigation. The software module provides real-time guidance to the clinician, indicating adjustments needed to maintain the correct orientation. This feedback loop ensures that the device reaches the target with the proper orientation even when navigating through complex luminal networks.
2Loss of information
If CT images are used for pathway planning, then the plan can be created based on available imaging data, but the resolution is insufficient in smaller branches of the bronchial tree for accurate navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from two-dimensional CT image slices to a three-dimensional representation of the luminal network. By reconstructing the airway tree in 3D space, the system preserves spatial relationships and structural details that are lost in conventional 2D CT images. This dimensional transformation enables accurate navigation through small airways by providing a comprehensive view of the luminal architecture that maintains resolution and detail across all branches.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a software module as an intermediary between the CT imaging system and the navigation process. This module processes the low-resolution CT data through algorithms that enhance and reconstruct the luminal network structure, creating a high-fidelity 3D model that serves as an intermediate representation. This intermediary processing step recovers detailed structural information that would otherwise be lost in the original CT images, enabling precise navigation in small airways.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the working end of the medical device cannot be flexed or turned towards a target in small airways, then navigation through the bronchial tree is limited, but the device structure may be too rigid to achieve the necessary flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic pathway planning that adapts to the specific geometry and constraints of the luminal network. The software module calculates optimal device configurations at each segment of the pathway, determining the precise amount and direction of flexing required. This dynamic approach allows the device to achieve the necessary flexibility for navigating small airways while maintaining structural integrity by optimizing the flexing pattern rather than requiring uniform flexibility throughout the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the medical device by controlling the degree and timing of flexing and turning movements. The software module specifies parameter values such as bend radius, flexion angle, and segment-by-segment orientation adjustments. By precisely controlling these parameters along the pathway, the device can achieve the adaptability needed for small airways while maintaining structural strength through optimized parameter selection rather than through structural modifications.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for planning a pathway through an anatomical luminal network of a patient, the system comprising: a computing device including at least one processor; a display device in communication with the computing device; and a user interface configured for display on the display device and configured to guide a user through a pathway planning procedure, the user interface comprising: a patient selection window configured to receive a user input to select a patient having CT image data on which to perform pathway planning; a target selection window configured to receive a user input to select at least one target from the CT image data; and an airway finder window configured to generate at least one pathway from the at least one target to an entry point of the anatomical luminal network in response to a user input.