2D Pathfinder Visualization for Surgical Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image-guided surgery, especially in narrow passages like the nasal sinuses, direct visualization of the surgical site is challenging due to the tight spaces and the need for endoscopes, which are rigid and cannot provide views from sinus cavities back to the sinus opening.
Innovation Solution
A medical apparatus and method that utilize a position tracking system to track a medical instrument within the body, register this system with a 3D CT image, and compute a 3D path for the instrument. The apparatus then renders and displays 2D CT slices with arrows indicating the direction to the 3D path, aiding in navigation without the need for direct visualization or rigid endoscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If rigid endoscopes are used for direct visualization in narrow passages, then the surgical site can be visualized, but the endoscopes cannot provide views from sinus cavities back to the sinus opening and are limited by tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical rigid endoscope system with a computational imaging system. Instead of using physical endoscopes to mechanically navigate and visualize, the system uses multiple fixed or movable imaging devices capturing images from different angles, which are then computationally synthesized to create virtual endoscopic views. This substitution eliminates the need for rigid endoscope insertion while providing flexible viewing angles through software-based image reconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computational image processing algorithms as an intermediary between the imaging devices and the final visualization. The algorithms process raw images from multiple sources, register them in a common coordinate system, and synthesize virtual endoscopic views that would be impossible to obtain with direct endoscope insertion. This intermediary layer enables flexible viewing angles without requiring physical endoscope manipulation.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple imaging devices are used to capture images from different angles, then virtual endoscopic views can be generated, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the imaging system multi-functional by enabling fixed or movable imaging devices to serve multiple purposes: capturing real-time surgical views, generating virtual endoscopic perspectives, creating 3D reconstructions, and providing various viewing angles simultaneously. This universality reduces the need for multiple specialized devices while maintaining comprehensive visualization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple imaging devices and their data streams into a unified computational processing pipeline. By merging the images and coordinate systems of multiple devices into a common reference frame, the system achieves comprehensive viewing coverage while managing complexity through integrated processing rather than separate independent systems.
3Measurement precision
If frames of reference of different modalities are registered, then tracking effectiveness is improved, but the registration process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary registration of frames of reference during the setup phase before the actual surgical tracking begins. By pre-establishing the coordinate transformations between different imaging modalities and the tracking system, the complex registration process is completed once rather than continuously during surgery, improving tracking accuracy while reducing ongoing computational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the registration accuracy is continuously monitored and adjusted. The system compares tracked instrument positions with visual feedback from the imaging system, automatically refining the frame of reference alignment. This feedback loop maintains high tracking precision while managing registration complexity through adaptive correction rather than manual recalibration.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a medical apparatus, includes a medical instrument configured to move within a passage in a body of a patient, a position tracking system to track coordinates of the medical instrument within the body, a display screen, and a processor to register the position tracking system and a 3D computerized tomography (CT) image of at least a part of the body within a common frame of reference, find a 3D path of the medical instrument through the passage from a start point to a termination point within the common frame of reference, compute a direction to the 3D path from the medical instrument responsively to the tracked coordinates, and render and simultaneously display on the display screen respective 2D CT slices, based on the 3D CT image, including respective 2D indications of the direction to the 3D path from the instrument projected onto the respective 2D CT slices.