Digital Twin Needle Path Planning for Precise Ultrasound Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle insertion methods, relying on physician perception or air pressure, lack accuracy and are influenced by skill level and patient condition, risking incorrect placement and nerve damage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a digital twin model to determine and control the needle path, integrating ultrasound imaging and sensor data to accurately position a medical needle at a desired target point within a patient's body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If needle insertion relies on physician perception, then the method is simple and easy to operate, but the accuracy varies depending on skill levels and condition of physicians
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital twin model that copies the patient's anatomical structure from ultrasound images. This virtual model allows physicians to plan and simulate needle insertion paths without directly relying on their perception skills, thereby improving placement accuracy while keeping the system manageable through software-based replication of physical anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary simulation of needle insertion paths in the digital twin model before actual needle insertion. This advance planning allows optimization of the insertion path to avoid harmful structures and ensure accurate target reach, resolving the contradiction by preparing the optimal path in advance rather than relying on physician skill during the procedure.
2Reliability
If needle insertion relies on physician perception, then the procedure is quick to perform, but the results are affected by skill levels, condition, and fatigue levels of physicians
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a digital twin model that replicates the patient's anatomy, the system enables consistent and reliable needle placement results that do not vary with physician skill or fatigue levels. The virtual model provides an objective reference that can be used by any physician, ensuring reliability while the automated path planning reduces the time investment required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback by overlaying the planned needle path on the ultrasound images and allowing simulation of the insertion process. This feedback mechanism enables physicians to verify and adjust the path before actual insertion, improving consistency of results while keeping the planning time manageable through interactive guidance.
3Measurement precision
If needle insertion uses air pressure method, then automation is increased, but the accuracy varies depending on physical condition, ages, and like of patients
Solution Approach 1:
The digital twin model captures the specific anatomical characteristics of each patient, including variations due to age, physical condition, and individual anatomy. The needle path planning is customized for each local anatomical structure, ensuring high accuracy while adapting to diverse patient conditions through patient-specific virtual modeling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts the needle insertion path based on the specific anatomical features revealed in the patient's ultrasound images and digital twin model. Rather than using a fixed air pressure method, the system adjusts the planned path in real-time to accommodate variations in patient anatomy, ensuring both accuracy and adaptability.
4Measurement precision
If digital twin model and angle determination system are implemented, then needle placement accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The digital twin model serves multiple functions: it visualizes patient anatomy, simulates needle insertion paths, determines optimal angles, and provides real-time guidance. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single integrated platform, improving accuracy while managing complexity through universal application of the digital twin across all planning and guidance tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect of the present invention, provided is a method for managing the path of a needle by using a digital twin, comprising the steps of: referring to a first angle at which a probe of an ultrasound device makes contact with a first point of the body of a patient, so as to determine a digital twin model corresponding to the body of the patient; and referring to the digital twin model so as to determine the angle at which a medical needle of a needle control device will enter the first point or a second point of the body of the patient.