Endoscope Image Overlay for Surgical Margin Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscope systems fail to accurately determine the extent of tumor resection, including surgical margins, when identifying tumors using fluorescence images, as the surgical margin is not recognized in ordinary images during surgery.
Innovation Solution
An image acquisition and display method that projects illumination and special light onto an observation area, identifying a region of interest in the special image and determining a boundary line in the ordinary image with an added margin, allowing for appropriate tumor removal by displaying these boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fluorescence image is captured to identify a tumor, then the tumor can be identified, but the surgical margin cannot be recognized in the ordinary image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fluorescence image (for tumor identification) and the ordinary image (for surgical margin visualization) into a single display interface. The boundary line derived from the fluorescence image is overlaid on the ordinary image, merging the advantages of both imaging modes to simultaneously provide tumor identification and surgical margin information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a boundary line as an intermediary element that translates the fluorescence image information into a visual marker on the ordinary image. This boundary line acts as a mediator that conveys the surgical margin information from the fluorescence domain to the ordinary image domain, enabling the surgeon to recognize both tumor and margin in a single view.
2Productivity
If only the tumor area is resected based on fluorescence image identification, then the tumor can be removed, but the surgical margin cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary visualization of the surgical margin boundary line on the display interface before the actual resection procedure. This allows the surgeon to plan the resection extent in advance based on the pre-calculated boundary line that includes the appropriate surgical margin, ensuring complete tumor removal with proper margins while maintaining surgical efficiency.
3Ease of manufacture
If the surgical margin is simply set in advance, then the display is straightforward, but the margin is not determined based on the actual tumor identified in real time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the actual tumor position identified in the fluorescence image is continuously fed back to adjust and refine the surgical margin boundary line. This real-time feedback ensures that the displayed margin is dynamically adapted to the actual tumor location and characteristics, providing both simplicity in display and precision in margin determination.
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
Enables accurate visualization and removal of tumors with appropriate surgical margins by overlaying the identified boundaries in the ordinary image, ensuring complete tumor extraction during surgery.
Implementation Method 1
a light projection unit for projecting illumination light and special light onto an observation area
Implementation Method 2
an imaging unit for imaging an ordinary image by receiving reflection light reflected, by the projection of the illumination light, from the observation area
Implementation Method 3
a special image by receiving light emitted, by the projection of the special light, from the observation area
Data Source
AI summary
Identifying, based on a special image, a prescribed region of interest in a special image, determining a boundary line of an area which includes a region in an ordinary image corresponding to the identified region of interest and a predetermined margin added to the region, and displaying a boundary line of the region and the boundary line of the area in the ordinary image.