Shared Surgical Anchor Placement for sEEG Trajectories
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Solution Overview
Problem
In surgical cranial interventions, the need for multiple trajectories during procedures like sEEG requires an impractical number of surgical anchor members, causing patient discomfort and increased costs due to the high number of expensive metal anchors needed.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method generates placement location data for surgical anchor members by identifying shared anchor points between multiple trajectories, optimizing their positioning for mechanical stability and optical registration, reducing the total number of anchors required while maintaining intervention accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surgical anchor members are fixed into the skull for each trajectory in sEEG interventions, then the intervention accuracy and platform stability are improved, but the number of anchor members increases impractically causing patient discomfort and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple surgical anchor members by identifying intersection points between geometric constraint volumes of different trajectories. A single anchor member placed at these intersection points can serve multiple trajectories simultaneously, reducing the total number of anchors from what would be required if each trajectory had dedicated anchors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes surgical anchor members universal by positioning them at locations that are accessible from multiple trajectory entry points. Each anchor member becomes a multi-functional support point that can accommodate the interventional platform for different trajectories, eliminating the need for trajectory-specific anchors.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the number of surgical anchor members is reduced, then patient discomfort and procedural costs are reduced, but the mechanical stability and optical registration performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary computational analysis to identify optimal anchor member locations that satisfy both mechanical stability and optical registration requirements before the actual surgery. By pre-calculating intersection points of geometric constraint volumes and evaluating their stability characteristics, the system ensures that reduced number of anchors still provide adequate support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses virtual geometric constraint volumes and computational models to replicate and analyze the mechanical and optical properties of anchor placements without physical trial-and-error. This allows optimization of anchor positions to maintain stability performance with fewer anchors.
3Reliability
If surgical anchor members are placed at optimal locations for mechanical stability and optical registration, then the quality of intervention is improved, but the complexity of planning and positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual planning and positioning processes with computational algorithms. The system automatically calculates geometric constraint volumes, determines their intersections, and identifies optimal anchor locations using computer-based geometric modeling, eliminating the need for complex manual measurements and trials during surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces geometric constraint volumes as intermediary computational constructs that facilitate the determination of optimal anchor locations. These virtual volumes serve as mediators between the trajectory requirements and the anchor placement decisions, simplifying the overall planning process through systematic geometric analysis.
Data Source
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AI summary
During a sEEG (stereo-electroencephalography) intervention into the skull of a patient, there is requirement to drill a large number of trajectories. Typically, instrument stabilisation platforms and robots for protocols requiring only one or two trajectories are rigidly fixed to the skull using surgical anchor members fixed into the skull around the one or two trajectories. However, because sEEG interventions require a large number of trajectories, an impractical number of surgical anchor members need to be fixed into the skull resulting in patient discomfort. Attachment of an intervention platform to all surgical anchor members is not required at once. Accordingly, it is proposed to search for intersection points of the maximum extent of an intervention platform between at least two trajectory entry points on an object of interest of patient, so that at least one surgical anchor member can be shared when the intersection point is at first and the second trajectories. Any reduction in the number of surgical anchor members inserted into a patient reduces risk and discomfort. The positioning of the shared anchor members can be optimised to enable good mechanical stability, and/or optical registration performance. Furthermore, the number of surgical anchor members required for intervention can be reduced. Because the surgical anchor members are sterilised and made from high quality metal, a cost for performing the procedure can also be reduced.