Fiber Optic Shape Sensing for Line-of-Sight Surgical Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical tracking systems, such as optical tracking systems and electromagnetic navigation systems, face challenges including the need for line-of-sight, limited accuracy within defined volumes, and interference from metal objects, which can hinder accurate tracking of surgical instruments and patient anatomy during procedures.
Innovation Solution
The use of fiber optic shape sensing (FOSS) devices, which include optical fibers with fiber Bragg grating sensors, attached to anatomical structures or surgical instruments. These devices generate reflectivity data from broadband light, allowing for registration within a coordinate system and tracking of the device's location, enabling improved tracking and visualization in surgical environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If optical tracking systems are used to track surgical instruments, then tracking accuracy is improved, but line-of-sight requirements limit the ability to track instruments inside body cavities or obscured areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical tracking systems with fiber optic shape sensing (FOSS) technology. The FOSS system uses fiber optic cables embedded in or attached to surgical instruments to detect shape and position changes through light scattering and interference patterns, eliminating the need for line-of-sight optical cameras. This substitution enables tracking of instruments inside body cavities, behind bones, and in other obscured areas where optical systems fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces fiber optic cables as an intermediary medium between the surgical instrument and the tracking system. These fiber optic cables are embedded within or attached to the instruments and transmit shape and position information through light modulation, serving as a mediator that carries tracking data without requiring direct optical access to the instrument's location.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electromagnetic tracking systems are used, then tracking is possible without line-of-sight, but metal objects in the surgical environment generate interference and degrade measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electromagnetic tracking systems with fiber optic shape sensing technology. Instead of using electromagnetic fields that interact with metal objects, the FOSS system uses light transmission through fiber optic cables to detect mechanical deformations and position changes. This substitution eliminates electromagnetic interference from metal surgical instruments, implants, and equipment while maintaining the ability to track without line-of-sight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces fiber optic cables as an intermediary that transmits tracking information through light modulation caused by mechanical deformations. This intermediary approach avoids the use of electromagnetic fields entirely, thereby eliminating interference from metal objects in the surgical environment while still enabling non-line-of-sight tracking capability.
3Measurement precision
If optical tracking systems are used to track patient anatomy, then anatomical tracking is achieved, but additional skin incisions are required for rigid attachment to bone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid optical tracking systems with flexible fiber optic shape sensing technology. The fiber optic cables can be inserted through small incisions or even needle-like punctures to reach and attach to bone surfaces, replacing the need for large skin incisions and rigid attachment mechanisms. The flexible nature of the fiber optics allows navigation through soft tissue to reach bony landmarks with minimal tissue disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible fiber optic cables that can be inserted through minimal openings in the skin to reach and attach to deep anatomical structures. The flexibility of the fiber optic medium allows it to conform to curved bone surfaces and navigate through soft tissue, eliminating the need for rigid attachment devices that require large incisions for secure mounting.
4Measurement precision
If optical tracking systems are used, then tracking accuracy is maintained within a defined volume, but the defined volume is difficult to maintain throughout manipulation of bony anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces optical tracking systems with fiber optic shape sensing technology that directly measures mechanical deformations of the instrument or anatomical structure along the entire fiber length. This substitution eliminates the need for a fixed defined volume, as the fiber optic system can track position and shape changes dynamically as the instrument or anatomy is manipulated, providing continuous accurate tracking without volume constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses fiber optic cables that provide continuous tracking capability along their entire length, allowing the system to maintain tracking accuracy during dynamic manipulation of bony anatomy. The fiber optic system continuously measures light scattering and interference patterns along the cable, providing uninterrupted position and shape information as the instrument moves through various positions and orientations.
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
The FOSS devices provide accurate and reliable tracking of surgical instruments and patient anatomy, overcoming the limitations of existing systems by allowing tracking without line-of-sight requirements and maintaining accuracy across larger volumes, thus enhancing surgical precision and workflow.
Implementation Method 1
Reflectivity data is then generated based on detected reflection from the FBG sensors of broadband light introduced by a light source to the plurality of cores of the optical fiber
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, surgical tracking devices, and systems that facilitate improved tracking in surgical environments are disclosed. With this technology, a fiber optic shape sensing (FOSS) device is rigidly attached to patient anatomy and/or surgical instrument(s) to facilitate location and/or flexibility tracking. The data provided by the FOSS device can be analyzed and registered to preoperative or intraoperative 3D anatomy model(s). The FOSS device can be attached to a surgical instrument to provide intraoperative guidance, used to locate a hollow needle for tracking bones in a minimally invasive manner, and/or used to detect bending in an instrument such as an arthroscope or tissue removing burr shaft, for example. The tracked location and/or flexibility data provided by the FOSS device can also be used to automatically control the location and/or operation of a surgical instrument during a surgical proceeding to facilitate improved surgical accuracy and patient outcomes.