Image-Guided Surgery Registration Quality Analysis for Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image-guided medical procedures lack sufficient knowledge about the accuracy and consistency of instrument correlation with pre-operative or intra-operative images, leading to uncertainty in navigation.

Innovation Solution

Implement a system for image-guided procedures that includes registration quality analysis, using methods to assess and improve the accuracy of instrument positioning by analyzing global and local registration quality, allowing for re-registration when necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If image-guided procedures use pre-operative or intra-operative images for instrument navigation, then the ability to reach target tissue location is improved, but the operator lacks sufficient knowledge about the quality and accuracy of the correlation, leading to uncertainty

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstrument positioning accuracyVSAvoidregistration quality information
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides feedback to the operator about the quality of image registration and instrument positioning. This includes displaying confidence indicators, registration quality metrics, and visual cues that inform the operator about the reliability of the image-guided navigation, thereby reducing uncertainty while maintaining positioning accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary registration quality assessment layer between the raw images and the operator's decision-making. This intermediary provides processed information about registration accuracy, confidence levels, and quality metrics that bridge the gap between having precise positioning capability and understanding its reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the system provides comprehensive registration quality analysis and real-time feedback, then the confidence and precision of instrument navigation is enhanced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation confidenceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The registration quality analysis is segmented into distinct components: global registration quality assessment, local registration quality assessment, and confidence indicator generation. Each component processes specific aspects of registration quality independently, then integrates results to provide comprehensive feedback without requiring the entire system to handle all analyses simultaneously, thus managing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If the system performs detailed global and local registration quality analysis, then the accuracy of instrument positioning is improved, but the time required for analysis and procedure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveregistration accuracyVSAvoidanalysis time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary global registration quality analysis before the main instrument navigation tasks. This preliminary assessment identifies regions of interest and potential registration issues in advance, allowing the system to focus computational resources on critical areas during the procedure rather than analyzing the entire volume continuously, thus reducing real-time analysis time while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a hierarchical analysis approach where global registration quality is assessed at a coarser level first, and local detailed analysis is performed only in regions where the global assessment indicates potential issues or where high precision is critically needed. This partial action approach provides sufficient registration accuracy for navigation while avoiding the time cost of exhaustive analysis everywhere

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3791362B1Systems and methods related to registration for image guided surgery
Publication Date: 2025.08.06 INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS INC
  • EP3791362B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3791362B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3791362B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A system is configured to perform operations includes accessing a set of model points of a model of an anatomic structure of a patient, the model points being associated with a model space. A set of measured points of the anatomic structure of the patient are collected, the measured points being associated with a patient space. The set of model points are registered to the set of measured points using a first set of initial parameters to generate a first transformation. One or more sets of perturbed initial parameters are generated based on the first set of initial parameters. One or more perturbed registration processes are performed to register the set of model points to the set of measured points using the one or more sets of perturbed initial parameters respectively to generate corresponding perturbed transformations. A registration quality indicator is generated based on the first transformation and the one or more perturbed transformations.