Robotic Navigation System for Luminal Networks with Respiratory Gating
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Solution Overview
Problem
During bronchoscopy procedures, the narrow airways near the lung periphery and changing airway diameters due to respiratory cycles pose challenges, leading to potential trauma when instruments are inserted, as existing technologies fail to accurately navigate and control instruments synchronously with patient respiration, risking puncture of blood vessels or other trauma.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system that incorporates respiratory frequency and magnitude into its navigation framework, using electromagnetic sensors and additional sensors like accelerometers and acoustic sensors to filter out noise from cyclic respiratory motion, implementing respiratory gating to prevent trauma by synchronizing instrument insertion with inspiration phases and providing user interface alerts for safe instrument control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If instrument insertion is performed during expiration phase, then navigation speed is improved, but trauma risk increases due to airway constriction
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic respiratory gating that synchronizes instrument navigation with the patient's respiratory cycle. The robotic system pauses instrument advancement during expiration phases and resumes during inspiration phases, creating a periodic action pattern that matches the respiratory rhythm. This resolves the contradiction by enabling faster overall navigation while preventing trauma through phase-synchronized operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors respiratory phase through sensors and provides real-time feedback to the navigation control system. This feedback mechanism allows the robotic system to dynamically adjust instrument advancement based on current respiratory phase, preventing insertion during constricted expiration phases while maintaining efficient navigation during safe inspiration phases.
2Reliability
If respiratory gating is implemented to prevent trauma, then safety is improved, but procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary registration of the luminal network geometry and pre-plans the navigation path before instrument insertion begins. This preliminary preparation allows the robotic system to efficiently execute respiratory-gated navigation without excessive delays, as the path is predetermined and the system can smoothly transition between pause and advance phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system dynamically adjusts its navigation speed and pausing duration based on real-time respiratory phase detection. Rather than using fixed timing intervals, the system adapts its operation to match the patient's actual respiratory rhythm, optimizing the balance between safety (preventing trauma during expiration) and efficiency (minimizing total procedure time).
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
The system effectively navigates luminal networks by accurately determining instrument position and controlling instrument insertion based on respiratory phases, reducing the risk of trauma by ensuring instruments are only inserted during inspiration, thus preventing airway constriction and potential damage during expiration.
Implementation Method 1
calculate at least one position of the set of EM sensors within the EM field based on a data signal from the set of EM sensors
Implementation Method 2
calculate a frequency of respiration of the patient based on a data signal from the set of respiration sensors
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for luminal network navigation. Some aspects relate to incorporating respiratory frequency and/or magnitude into a navigation system to implement patient safety measures. Some aspects relate to identifying, and compensating for, motion caused by patient respiration in order to provide a more accurate identification of the position of an instrument within a luminal network.