Percutaneous Needle Uncertainty Mapping for Safer Organ Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing percutaneous procedures face challenges in precisely reaching target sites in internal organs like the kidney without damaging adjacent tissues, due to limitations in imaging quality and lack of real-time guidance systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and device using intraoperative ultrasound and preoperative imaging data, combined with electromagnetic tracking, generate an uncertainty map to visualize the probability of hitting adjacent organs, guiding surgeons to a safe trajectory through real-time tracking and virtual representations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real-time tracking and imaging are used to guide percutaneous procedures, then the precision of reaching target sites is improved, but the complexity of the device and procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the uncertainty assessment into discrete computational components: tracking uncertainty, imaging uncertainty, and registration uncertainty are calculated separately and then integrated to form the complete uncertainty map. This modular approach manages complexity while maintaining high precision guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
An uncertainty map is introduced as an intermediary visualization tool that translates complex tracking and imaging data into intuitive probability distributions. This intermediary representation simplifies the interpretation of multiple data sources without sacrificing measurement precision.
2Reliability
If comprehensive imaging data and real-time tracking are integrated to assess needle trajectory, then the safety of avoiding adjacent organs is improved, but the time required for procedure planning and execution increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary registration and uncertainty calculations during the planning phase, generating the uncertainty map before needle insertion. This advance preparation allows for rapid intraoperative decision-making while maintaining high safety standards through comprehensive pre-procedure analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time tracking data provides continuous feedback during needle insertion, allowing dynamic adjustment of the trajectory. The system updates the uncertainty assessment as the needle progresses, enabling safety monitoring without requiring extensive additional planning time during execution.
3Ease of operation
If visual representations of uncertainty are provided to guide needle insertion, then the confidence of the surgeon is improved, but the complexity of data processing and visualization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The uncertainty map uses color-coded visual representations to indicate different levels of uncertainty and risk. This intuitive color system translates complex probabilistic data into easily interpretable visual cues, enhancing surgeon confidence without requiring complex data processing during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the anatomical structures with associated uncertainty information, allowing surgeons to interact with and analyze the uncertainty map without processing raw sensor data in real-time. This virtual representation simplifies the interface while maintaining analytical depth.
Data Source
AI summary
Guided percutaneous uncertainty mapping device and method for providing visual representations of an uncertainty map with respect to an organ during a guided percutaneous procedure using an electromagnetic tracking (EMT) system comprising an EMT field generator and tracker, a catheter with a EMT sensor for placing in the organ to mark a percutaneous procedure target, and a needle with an EMT sensor and an electronic data processor configured for carrying out the steps of: receiving an indication of a percutaneous procedure target; receiving three-dimensional (3D) positions and orientations of the catheter and the needle tracked in real-time from the EMT system; estimating the uncertainty of the received position and orientation of the needle; estimating the uncertainty of the received position and orientation of the catheter: estimating a trajectory uncertainty of the needle departing from a current position and orientation of the needle; generating a visual representation of the estimated trajectory uncertainty and catheter uncertainty with respect to the EMT coordinate system for displaying on a user interface.