Mixed Reality Surgical Navigation System for Anatomical Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical procedures lack effective sensory augmentation, with surgeons relying solely on visual, auditory, and tactile inputs from the operating site, leading to challenges in situational awareness and anatomical registration during surgeries, particularly due to line-of-sight issues and the need to constantly switch between the surgical site and external displays.
Innovation Solution
A mixed reality surgical navigation system featuring a head-worn display device with a processor, sensor suite, and visual markers attached to surgical tools, providing real-time, stereoscopic virtual images of anatomical features and tools within the surgeon's field of view, enhancing visual, auditory, and tactile feedback without requiring unnatural head movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If external console displays and cameras are used for surgical navigation, then visual information is provided to the surgeon, but the surgeon must repeatedly shift gaze between the surgical site and the external display, reducing efficiency and increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the surgical display with the surgeon's natural field of view by using augmented reality technology. Virtual surgical information is overlaid directly onto the surgeon's vision through a head-mounted display, merging the navigation interface with the surgical site view. This eliminates the need to shift gaze between separate displays and the surgical area, directly resolving the contradiction between providing visual information and maintaining surgical efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The head-mounted display acts as an intermediary device that delivers visual information directly to the surgeon's eyes without requiring attention diversion. The AR interface serves as a mediator between the surgical reality and navigation data, presenting both simultaneously in the surgeon's field of view, thus maintaining workflow efficiency while delivering comprehensive visual information
2Object-affected harmful factors
If remote cameras are positioned outside the sterile field, then line-of-sight obstructions are minimized, but the cameras cannot capture views within the wound or from the surgeon's vantage point
Solution Approach 1:
The head-mounted display system provides multiple viewing functions simultaneously - it captures the surgeon's perspective of the surgical site, displays virtual anatomical models, shows real-time navigation data, and presents instrument positioning information all within a single integrated interface. This multi-functional approach allows the system to adapt to various surgical viewing needs without requiring multiple separate camera positions
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from external 2D display planes to a 3D immersive viewing experience by projecting virtual images directly into the surgeon's field of view. This dimensional shift allows surgical information to be viewed from the surgeon's actual vantage point rather than from a removed external perspective, enabling views within the wound and at the surgeon's eye level simultaneously
3Measurement precision
If traditional stylus-based point cloud registration is used for 3D mapping, then anatomical surfaces can be mapped, but the process is time-consuming and less accurate compared to modern imaging techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical stylus-based point cloud acquisition method with optical imaging and computer vision technology. The system uses cameras and image processing algorithms to automatically capture and map anatomical surfaces, eliminating the need for manual stylus manipulation. This substitution dramatically reduces registration time while improving accuracy through automated feature detection and matching algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of anatomical structures by capturing images and generating 3D models through photogrammetry and surface reconstruction algorithms. Instead of physically probing surfaces with a stylus, the system uses optical copying techniques to replicate anatomical geometry digitally, enabling faster and more precise registration through automated image-based matching
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a mixed reality surgical navigation system (10) to be worn by a user (106) during a surgical procedure comprising: a display device (104), to be worn by a user (106) during a surgical procedure, comprising a processor unit (102), a display generator (204), a sensor suite (210) having at least one camera (206) or depth sensor wherein the processing unit (102) creates a reference surface map (5804) of an exposed surface (5806) of an anatomical object (4204) with data received from the sensor suite (210); the processing unit (102) establishes a reference frame (5810) relative to the sensor suite (210) for the reference surface map (5804); orientation of the reference frame (5810) is established by creating additional surface maps (5834) of other anatomical features (5824) of the anatomical object (4204); the processing unit (102) tracks a pose of the anatomical object (4204) relative to the system (10) by creating a displaced surface map (5814) of the exposed surface (5806) and rotating and translating the displaced surface map (5814) and reference frame (5810) to achieve a best fit to the reference surface map (5804).