Colonoscope Kinematics Tracking With Frame Quality Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instrument monitoring technologies lack consistency across different surgical theaters, leading to inaccurate performance assessment and navigation within patient interiors, and are prone to data corruption due to unsuitable sensor inputs, which can cause cascading errors in downstream processing.
Innovation Solution
Systems and methods to identify suitable surgical instrument fields of view for kinematics processing, assess kinematic behavior, and assist surgical teams in navigating patient interiors using computer systems that integrate neural networks for image processing and three-dimensional modeling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mechanical encoders are used to monitor surgical instrument positions, then instrument position data can be acquired, but consistency across different surgical theaters is poor and additional hardware costs and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical encoders with vision-based optical tracking systems that use cameras and markers to monitor surgical instrument positions. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical components while achieving consistent, high-precision tracking across different surgical theaters through software-based processing of visual data.
2Productivity
If unsuitable sensor data is processed in downstream systems, then processing continues, but data corruption propagates and causes cascading errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary validation and quality assessment of sensor data before it enters downstream processing systems. By pre-screening data for suitability and filtering out corrupted or inadequate measurements, the system prevents data corruption from propagating through the processing pipeline while maintaining high throughput of valid data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor data quality metrics and adjust processing accordingly. When unsuitable data is detected, the system provides feedback to exclude or reprocess that data, preventing cascading errors while maintaining overall processing efficiency through adaptive control.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive kinematics monitoring is implemented, then accurate performance assessment and navigation are achieved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal kinematics processing system that handles multiple surgical instruments and measurement types through a single integrated platform. The system provides consistent coordinate transformations, data fusion, and analysis capabilities across different surgical theaters and instrument types, reducing overall system complexity through standardization and multi-functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Various of the disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for determining precise surgical instrument kinematics data, such as the pose of a colonoscope when examining a large intestine. The pose may then be used when constructing of a model of the patient interior from which reference geometries, such as a centerline, and navigational feedback, such as lacunae in the operator's review, may be produced. Some embodiments may also determine a data frame's suitability for downstream processing based upon the intraoperative field of view (e.g., downstream localization and mapping operations), such as whether the frame is undesirably blurred or depicts an obstruction. The operating surgeon, or reviewers of the surgical procedure, may then be presented, e.g., with metrics or graphical feedback related to one or more of: surgical instrument movement relative to the centerline, comprehensiveness of the operator's examination, and the amount of undesirable frames encountered during the examination.