IMU Surgical Navigation for Accurate Guidance With Less Radiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional medical imaging and surgical navigation systems expose patients and medical staff to high levels of radiation due to frequent imaging, are costly, and prone to human error in alignment, which is critical in intra-operative environments.
Innovation Solution
Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are used to enhance operative accuracy by providing operational feedback, calculating relative and absolute positions, and integrating with medical images and cameras to assist in surgical navigation, alignment, and post-operative assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional medical imaging systems are used for frequent imaging, then surgical navigation accuracy can be maintained, but radiation exposure to patient and staff increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/optical imaging systems (C-arm, fluoroscopy) with inertial measurement units (IMUs) that use accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers to track surgical tool positions and orientations. This substitution eliminates the need for repeated radiation-based imaging while maintaining tracking accuracy through inertial sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual 3D model of the patient's anatomy from pre-operative medical images and uses IMUs to track surgical tools within this virtual model. This allows real-time navigation and accuracy assessment without requiring repeated physical imaging, effectively copying the navigational function without the harmful radiation exposure.
2Measurement precision
If manual alignment of imaging systems is performed, then optimal imaging positions can be achieved, but time consumption and human error increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical tools are equipped with self-contained IMUs that automatically track their own position and orientation without requiring external imaging system alignment. The system autonomously calculates tool locations relative to the patient's anatomy using inertial data and pre-operative imaging, eliminating the need for manual alignment operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously provides real-time feedback on surgical tool positioning by comparing IMU-measured positions with the pre-operative 3D anatomical model. This closed-loop feedback enables automatic correction and verification of tool placement accuracy without requiring repeated manual alignment of external imaging devices.
3Measurement precision
If traditional surgical navigation systems are used, then operative accuracy can be achieved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation function is segmented and distributed to individual surgical tools, each equipped with its own IMU. This eliminates the need for a complex centralized tracking system with multiple cameras and markers, as each tool independently provides its own position and orientation data through its embedded sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The IMUs serve multiple functions simultaneously: they track tool position, determine tool orientation, provide collision avoidance data, and enable post-operative accuracy assessment. This multi-functionality replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate systems, reducing overall complexity while maintaining comprehensive navigational capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Accuracy enhancing systems, devices and methods are provided using data obtained from inertial measurement units (IMUs). IMUs are provided on one or more of a patient, surgical table, surgical instruments, imaging devices, navigation systems, and the like. Data from sensors in each IMU is collected and used to calculate absolute and relative positions of the patient, surgical table, surgical instruments, imaging devices, and navigation systems on which the IMUs are provided. The data generated by the IMUs can be coupled with medical images and camera vision, among other information, to generate and/or provide surgical navigation, alignment of imaging systems, pre-operative diagnoses and plans, intra-operative tool guidance and error correction, and post-operative assessments.