EM and Ultrasound Surgical Navigation Co-Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracking and navigation systems in surgical procedures face challenges in accurately registering and displaying the position of instruments relative to a patient, especially when interference from conductive or magnetic materials occurs.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a combination of electromagnetic (EM) and ultrasound (US) tracking technologies, using an EM localizer to emit a field sensed by EM tracking devices, and optionally using ultrasound signals to determine the pose of tracking devices, including EMUSTs that can transduce between EM and US signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If electromagnetic tracking is used to determine instrument position, then real-time tracking capability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates when conductive or magnetic materials are present
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the tracking function into two independent segments: EM tracking for real-time position updates and US tracking for precise position determination. Each tracking system operates separately, allowing the system to use EM data for continuous monitoring while using US data to correct precision errors when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism that detects the presence of interfering materials and dynamically switches between or combines EM and US tracking data. This intermediary layer resolves the contradiction by selecting the appropriate tracking modality based on environmental conditions.
2Device complexity
If a single tracking system is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates when interference occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges EM and US tracking systems into a unified navigation system that shares common processing and display infrastructure. This allows the system to maintain reduced overall complexity while benefiting from the complementary strengths of both tracking modalities for enhanced reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a composite tracking approach by combining data from EM and US systems, similar to how composite materials combine different properties. The fused tracking data provides reliability that neither system could achieve alone, while the shared processing architecture maintains device simplicity.
3Area of stationary object
If electromagnetic field sensing is used, then tracking range is improved, but susceptibility to interference from conductive and magnetic materials increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the precision measurement function from the EM tracking system and assigns it to the US tracking system. This separation allows EM tracking to maintain its advantage of wide coverage while US tracking handles the precision measurements that are less susceptible to interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of the tracking approach by switching between EM waves and ultrasound waves depending on the environment. Ultrasound provides a different physical modality that is not affected by electromagnetic interference, allowing tracking to continue accurately in environments with conductive or magnetic materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for accurate registration and display of instrument positions relative to a patient, even in the presence of interfering materials, by co-registering EM and US navigation systems, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of surgical navigation.
Implementation Method 1
An electromagnetic (EM) field may be emitted by an emitter or transmitter and may be sensed by an electromagnetic sensing device of the tracking device
Implementation Method 2
an ultrasound transducer to emit and receive ultrasound frequencies
Implementation Method 3
emagnetic sensing device may include one or more coils of a conductive material or may include other sensors including but not limited to Hall effect
Implementation Method 4
sensors including but not limited to Hall effect, flux gate, magneto-resistive
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a system for assisting in guiding and performing a procedure on a subject. The subject may be any appropriate subject such as a living or non-living subject or inanimate object and/or an animate object.