Imaging Device for Multi-Needle Tracking and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clinical intervention procedures involving needle insertion for tissue removal, fluid removal, or ablation are prone to human error and inefficiency due to manual monitoring and alignment, especially when multiple needles are used, leading to slow and error-prone processes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves establishing multiple spatial imaging planes that intersect with elongate guide members, determining their spatial orientation, and identifying additional planes perpendicular to these orientations to provide real-time, continuous visualization and automatic re-alignment, ensuring needles remain visible and aligned with the intended path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual monitoring and alignment of needle trajectory is used, then the interventionist can control the needle placement, but the process becomes slow and error-prone due to constant visual monitoring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual visual monitoring system with an automated computer-based imaging and tracking system. The system automatically acquires images, determines needle trajectory, and provides real-time feedback without requiring the interventionist to continuously visually monitor the needle position, thereby eliminating the trade-off between accuracy and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-guided needle placement by automatically tracking the needle trajectory and providing real-time guidance feedback. The interventionist simply needs to initiate the procedure, and the system autonomously monitors and guides the needle along the planned path, reducing human effort and error while maintaining high precision.
2Loss of information
If another person manually adjusts the image slice to follow the needle path, then needle visibility is maintained, but coordination complexity increases and errors remain possible
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically tracks and displays the needle trajectory without requiring manual intervention from a second person. The computer-based system autonomously adjusts the image slice to follow the needle path, eliminating the need for coordination between multiple operators and reducing the complexity of the procedure.
3Reliability
If multiple needles are monitored manually in parallel, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but the process becomes particularly slow and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual monitoring of multiple needles with an automated computer-based system that can simultaneously track and display multiple needle trajectories. The system processes images and provides real-time feedback for all needles in parallel, eliminating the bottlenecks and errors associated with manual monitoring while maintaining complete oversight.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of operating an imaging device and a corresponding device are provided. The method is guidable by N elongate guide members and includes: establishing N+1 first spatial imaging planes each having an intersection with each of the N elongate guide members; determining a spatial orientation of each of the N elongate guide members based on the intersection of the respective guide member with each of the first spatial imaging planes; and identifying at least one second spatial imaging plane along or perpendicular to the respective determined spatial orientation of each of the N elongate guide members.