Patient-Specific Intervention Planning With Hybrid Physical-Virtual Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and limited reusability of printed organs for patient-specific intervention planning in medical training and surgery, as well as the difficulty in simulating complex anatomical functions like blood flow and electrical conductivity, pose challenges in providing effective and cost-efficient training tools.
Innovation Solution
A system combining patient-specific physical and virtual models of anatomical structures, where a physical model is created through 3D printing based on medical images, and a virtual model provides interactive and functional simulations, allowing for tangible manipulation and reversible simulations of interventions without actual destruction, using tracking devices to register physical and virtual representations of tools and structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If physical models are used for patient-specific intervention planning and training, then tactile feedback and tangible manipulation are provided, but the cost increases and reusability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges physical and virtual models into a hybrid system where physical anatomical models are combined with virtual representations and tracking technology. This allows the physical model to provide tactile feedback while the virtual component enables unlimited reusability and eliminates the need to recreate physical models after each use, thereby reducing costs while maintaining tactile benefits
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating expensive new physical models for each training session, the system creates a virtual copy of the anatomical structure that can be reused indefinitely. The virtual model serves as a digital replica that maintains all anatomical details while eliminating manufacturing costs and enabling unlimited repetitions
2Manufacturing precision
If physical models are used for patient-specific intervention planning, then anatomical accuracy is achieved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the patient-specific anatomy from medical imaging data, achieving exact anatomical accuracy without the complexity of manufacturing physical models. The virtual model can be generated algorithmically from CT or MRI scans, eliminating intricate manufacturing processes while preserving precise anatomical representation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manufacturing process of physical models with a digital modeling process. Instead of using 3D printing or other manufacturing techniques to create physical replicas, the system uses software to generate accurate virtual anatomical models directly from medical imaging data, thereby eliminating manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If complex anatomical functions like blood flow and electrical conductivity are simulated in physical models, then functional accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and physical systems used to simulate blood flow and electrical conductivity in physical models with computational algorithms in a virtual environment. The virtual model uses software-based simulations to model physiological functions, eliminating the need for complex pumping systems, conductive materials, and other hardware components while maintaining functional accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of physically replicating complex physiological functions in a tangible model, the system creates a virtual copy that can simulate blood flow, electrical conductivity, and other anatomical functions through software. This digital replication achieves functional accuracy without the device complexity required to implement these functions in a physical model
4Ease of operation
If physical models are used for surgical training, then realistic practice is enabled, but the reusability is limited due to destruction during training
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a virtual copy of the anatomical structure that can be reused indefinitely without degradation or destruction. While the physical model provides realistic tactile feedback during initial familiarization, the virtual model serves as a durable replica that can be used for unlimited training sessions, eliminating the reusability limitation of physical models
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the physical and virtual models in a hybrid system where the physical model is used for initial tactile familiarization and the virtual model is used for repeated practice sessions. This merging allows trainees to benefit from the realism of physical models while achieving unlimited reusability through the virtual component
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a system for patient-specific intervention planning, the system comprising a physical model of an anatomical structure, wherein the physical model is a patient-specific model based on medical image data; a virtual model of the anatomical structure, wherein the virtual model is a patient-specific model based on medical image data; a tracking device configured to track a position of a physical representation of an interventional tool with respect to the physical model of the anatomical structure; a processor configured to perform the step of: registering the physical model of the anatomical structure with the virtual model of the anatomical structure and registering the physical representation of the interventional tool with a virtual representation of the interventional tool based on the position of the physical representation of the interventional tool and the physical model of the anatomical structure. The present disclosure further relates to a corresponding method and computer program.