Laser Incision Marker Projection from Fluoroscopic Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical imaging systems lack the capability to accurately project incision markers onto patients without requiring additional tools or repeated irradiation, particularly for areas like the spine that are not directly visible or recognizable in standard imaging.
Innovation Solution
A method using a medical imaging system with a movable gantry and adjustable lasers to project incision markers onto a patient based on a captured fluoroscopic image, where a virtual marker is set in the image and the laser is controlled to project the marker from a different direction, allowing precise marking of points or regions of interest on the patient's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If standard fluoroscopic imaging is used to capture patient anatomy, then internal structures like the spine can be visualized, but the ability to accurately mark surgical points on the patient's surface is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fluoroscopic imaging system with a laser projection system into a single integrated device. The laser unit is coupled to the imaging system and can be controlled to project markers onto the patient's surface based on the fluoroscopic image data, eliminating the need for separate marking tools and improving surgical point accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system is enhanced to perform multiple functions: capturing fluoroscopic images of internal anatomy, processing the image data to identify surgical points, and projecting corresponding markers onto the patient's surface. This multi-functional approach replaces what would traditionally require multiple separate devices.
2Measurement precision
If additional tools or repeated irradiation are used to mark surgical points, then marking accuracy can be improved, but patient exposure to radiation and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical points are identified and marked on the patient's surface before the actual surgical procedure begins. The fluoroscopic image is captured, processed to determine precise surgical point locations, and the laser projects markers onto the patient's skin in advance, eliminating the need for repeated radiation exposure during the procedure to verify markings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a visual copy of the internal anatomy information from the fluoroscopic image and transfers it to the patient's surface through laser projection. The markers on the skin represent the three-dimensional surgical points, allowing surgeons to see internal structure locations externally without additional radiation exposure.
3Manufacturing precision
If the imaging system is enhanced with laser projection capability, then surgical point marking accuracy improves, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The laser projection unit is integrated with the existing fluoroscopic imaging system, sharing common components such as the gantry structure, control systems, and power supply. This merging approach adds the precision marking capability while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity compared to completely separate systems.
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
Enables accurate marking of surgical points or regions of interest on the patient's surface without additional tools or repeated irradiation, ensuring precise alignment without the need for patient repositioning or additional markers.
Implementation Method 1
a movable gantry carrying a medical imaging system and at least one laser which is adjustable relative to the gantry
Implementation Method 2
The medical imaging system typically comprises an x-ray source which emits a conical x-ray beam
Data Source
AI summary
This document relates to technologies of projecting an incision marker onto a patient using a movable gantry carrying a medical imaging system and at least one laser which is adjustable relative to the gantry. The medical imaging system is used for capturing a fluoroscopic or x-ray image of at least a part of the patient from a viewing direction. Then a virtual marker is set in the captured image in order to indicate a point or region of interest, for example as a point or at least one line of an incision. Then the laser is used to indicate, from a projection direction different from the viewing direction, the point or region of interest onto the surface of the patient, thus making the point or region of interest visible from the outside.