Mixed Reality Surgical Navigation for Acetabular Screw Planning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surgeons face challenges in determining the optimal placement and screw lengths for acetabular cup components during total hip arthroplasty due to limited access and lack of information about pelvic thickness, leading to potential tissue damage and component failure.

Innovation Solution

The use of mixed reality (MR) devices for surgical navigation, which include processors, sensors, and projection systems to display virtual images, allowing for patient-specific surgical planning, registration, and real-time tracking of anatomical structures and implants, enabling precise placement and orientation of acetabular cup components and screws.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If traditional navigation methods (infrared stereoscopic optical tracking or inertial tracking) are used, then surgical navigation can be performed, but the system cannot track objects without reflective spheres or active LEDs, limiting visibility and spatial tracking capability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility and spatial tracking capabilityVSAvoidtracking system requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces optical tracking systems (infrared cameras and reflective spheres) with a camera-based vision system that uses image processing and computer vision algorithms to detect and track surgical instruments and anatomical landmarks, eliminating the need for specialized tracking markers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a virtual 3D model of the patient's anatomy from preoperative imaging data and overlays it with real-time camera feeds, allowing surgeons to see both the actual surgical field and the virtual anatomical structures simultaneously through augmented reality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If image-based navigation with preoperative CT or MR imaging is used, then 3D models of patient anatomy can be created for registration, but the registration process requires affixing trackers and digitizing anatomical points during surgery

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanatomical model accuracyVSAvoidregistration process time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs all necessary anatomical modeling, coordinate system definition, and surgical plan creation during the preoperative planning phase using CT or MR images, so that during surgery the system only needs to register the precreated virtual model to the patient's anatomy without requiring time-consuming digitization procedures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the traditional mechanical registration process (affixing trackers and digitizing points with a digitizer) with an image-based registration system that uses computer vision to automatically align the virtual 3D model with the patient's actual anatomy by recognizing anatomical landmarks in camera images

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Ease of manufacture

If image-free navigation with random tracker attachment is used, then registration can be achieved without imaging, but the anatomy cannot be registered to a 3D model, limiting surgical planning capability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveregistration simplicityVSAvoid3D anatomical model availability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the advantages of image-free navigation (simplicity of tracker attachment) with image-based navigation (availability of 3D anatomical models) by using preoperative imaging data to create virtual 3D models while employing a simplified registration process that leverages computer vision and anatomical landmark recognition rather than requiring extensive digitization

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Ease of operation

If surgeons manually determine screw lengths and trajectories without navigation assistance, then the procedure is simpler, but accuracy is reduced leading to potential tissue damage and component failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical procedure simplicityVSAvoidscrew placement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a virtual reality overlay as an intermediary between the surgeon and the surgical field, displaying virtual screw trajectories and length indicators that guide the surgeon's hand while maintaining the simplicity of manual screw insertion, thus combining ease of operation with high precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20230301719A1Systems and methods for planning screw lengths and guiding screw trajectories during surgery

Publication Date: 2023.09.28 MURPHY M D STEPHEN B

AI summary

Systems and methods plan the trajectories and lengths of screws used to secure an acetabular cup component within the acetabulum of a patient's pelvis and guide a surgeon, during the surgical procedure, to install the screws of the planned lengths along the planned trajectories. The screw trajectories and lengths may be determined based on the placement of the acetabular shell within the acetabulum.