Endoscope System with Position Tracking for Laparoscopic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
In laparoscopic surgery, maintaining anatomical positional relations between organs within the body cavity using endoscopic images is challenging, especially when dealing with wide treatment ranges or reconfirming anatomical features or bleeding points, requiring significant skill and burden on surgeons.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope system equipped with an imaging unit, display unit, endoscopic position sensor, distance measurement unit, position calculation unit, position storage unit, and direction indication unit, which detects the endoscope's position and distance to a subject of interest, computes and stores positions, and displays direction indicators to help surgeons track anatomical features and bleeding points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If surgeons rely only on endoscopic images to track anatomical positional relations, then the incision area is limited (less invasive), but the skill requirement and operational burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of position sensors, distance measurement units, and a control unit that processes spatial information. This intermediary translates complex anatomical spatial relationships into simplified directional indicators and distance measurements displayed on the screen, allowing surgeons to track anatomical positions without mentally reconstructing 3D spatial relations from 2D endoscopic images alone
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copied representation of the actual anatomical spatial relationships by computing virtual positions of organs and structures based on sensor data. This virtual model is displayed as directional indicators and distance information, providing surgeons with an accurate but simplified copy of the complex anatomical landscape without requiring direct visual observation of all spatial relationships
2Adaptability or versatility
If surgeons manually search for landmarks and bleeding points during wide treatment ranges, then comprehensive treatment is achieved, but the time and operational burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback by constantly monitoring the endoscope's position and orientation through sensors, comparing it with stored anatomical position data, and providing real-time directional indicators and distance measurements. This feedback loop automatically guides surgeons to landmarks and bleeding points without manual searching, adapting dynamically as the endoscope moves throughout the treatment area
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing the positions of important anatomical landmarks, organs, and potential bleeding points before the surgical procedure begins. This pre-established spatial database allows the system to immediately provide guidance information when needed, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual searching during the actual surgery
Data Source
AI summary
The endoscope system includes an endoscope including an imaging unit that is capable of taking an image of a subject of interest, a display unit for displaying an image taken by the imaging unit, an endoscopic position sensor for detecting a position of the endoscope in the body cavity, a distance measurement unit for measuring a distance from a distal end of the endoscope to the subject of interest, a position calculation unit for computing the positions of the distal end of the endoscope and the subject of interest on the basis of information from the endoscopic position sensor and the distance measurement unit, a position storage unit for storing a position of the subject of interest computed by the position calculation unit, and a direction indication unit for indicating a direction in which the subject of interest is present on the display unit.