Patient-Fixed Alignment Guide for Obstructed Surgical Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation systems face challenges in accurately tracking and positioning surgical instruments relative to a subject, particularly in procedures where direct visual access is obstructed, such as spinal fusion or deep brain stimulation, due to limitations in existing electromagnetic and optical tracking technologies.
Innovation Solution
A navigation system incorporating an alignment guide that includes a guide member fixed to the subject, which can be moved mechanically or robotically, and is tracked using electromagnetic or optical systems to ensure precise positioning and alignment of instruments relative to a subject, utilizing a navigation processor to integrate tracking information with imaging data for real-time guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If electromagnetic or optical tracking systems are used to track surgical instruments, then real-time position determination is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates in obstructed visual conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide member as an intermediary element that is fixed to the patient and mechanically coupled to the surgical instrument. This guide member provides a stable reference frame that mediates between the tracking system and the instrument, enabling accurate position determination even when direct visual or electromagnetic tracking of the instrument itself is obstructed or imprecise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on electromagnetic or optical tracking systems with a mechanical linkage system. The guide member is mechanically coupled to the surgical instrument through a coupling mechanism that maintains a defined spatial relationship, substituting mechanical precision for electromagnetic/optical tracking precision in obstructed conditions.
2Manufacturing precision
If a guide member is fixed to the subject and mechanically coupled to the instrument, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: a guide member fixed to the patient, a coupling mechanism, and the surgical instrument. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture by distributing functions across separate elements rather than requiring a single complex device.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attaching the instrument directly to the patient or using complex tracking systems to monitor instrument position, the patent inverts the approach by fixing a guide member to the patient and coupling the instrument to the guide member. This inversion simplifies the system by using the patient's anatomy as the stable reference rather than relying on complex external tracking infrastructure.
3Measurement precision
If direct visual access is obstructed during surgery, then ease of operation deteriorates, but measurement precision can be maintained through tracking systems
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as an intermediary that provides mechanical guidance and stability for the surgical instrument through obstructed anatomical regions. The guide member's fixed attachment to the patient and mechanical coupling to the instrument creates a stable pathway that facilitates instrument insertion and positioning even when direct visual access is blocked by tissue or bone structures.
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 and precise positioning of surgical instruments relative to the subject, allowing for successful execution of procedures like spinal fusion and deep brain stimulation by providing real-time tracking and alignment, even in obstructed visual conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor coil may include a conductive material that is placed within a magnetic field where a current is induced in the sensor coil. The measured induced current may be used to identify or determine a position of the instrument or object.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3A
Figure 4
AI summary
Disclosed is a guide or alignment system. The system may be used to at least assist in a procedure. The system may assist in aligning objects and/or determining physical boundaries for a selected portion of the procedure.