Digital Surgical Stereoscope Overlay Synchronization for Moving Tissue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical camera systems struggle with reduced image contrast and misalignment of fluorescence image data when overlaying on visible light data due to tissue movement, particularly in organs like the heart and lungs, which results in a ghost effect that hinders accurate visualization.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for synchronizing fluorescence image data with visible light data by detecting regular tissue movement patterns, such as heartbeats, and adjusting the frame rate to align peaks in both data sets, ensuring precise overlay of fluorescence images on live visible light images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fluorescence image data is overlaid on visible light image data, then tissue visibility and contrast are improved, but misalignment occurs due to tissue movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the overlay timing of fluorescence and visible light images based on detected tissue movement. By synchronizing the overlay moment with the tissue's movement phase (using correlation processing to detect motion vectors), the system maintains alignment between the two image types despite continuous tissue motion, resolving the contradiction between improved contrast and maintained alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors tissue movement through correlation processing between sequential images and uses this feedback to adjust the overlay timing. The motion detection feedback loop ensures that the fluorescence image overlay is timed to coincide with specific phases of tissue movement, maintaining alignment while preserving the contrast benefits of fluorescence imaging.
2Measurement precision
If alternating image data is recorded and combined, then fluorescence enhancement is achieved, but ghost effect appears due to tissue movement between frames
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary motion analysis by calculating correlation between sequential images to detect tissue movement vectors before overlaying the fluorescence data. This preliminary action allows the system to predict and compensate for tissue movement during the overlay process, preventing the ghost effect while maintaining fluorescence visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using static frame-by-frame overlay, the system dynamically synchronizes the overlay timing with the detected tissue movement phase. By adjusting the overlay moment based on real-time motion detection, the system eliminates the ghost effect that arises from static overlay of moving tissue, while preserving the enhanced fluorescence visibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If overlay is applied to moving tissue, then comprehensive tissue visualization is improved, but alignment accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic overlay synchronization that adapts to real-time tissue movement. By continuously detecting motion vectors through correlation processing and adjusting overlay timing accordingly, the system maintains high alignment accuracy across moving tissues while providing comprehensive visualization capabilities for both fluorescence and visible light data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from motion detection to continuously adjust overlay timing. Correlation processing provides real-time feedback about tissue movement, which is used to synchronize the overlay moment with the tissue's movement phase, ensuring maintained alignment accuracy despite the versatility of visualizing moving tissues.
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 solution effectively eliminates offsets between overlaid images of rhythmically moving tissue, enhancing visibility and contrast for improved surgical precision by aligning tissue positions in both data sets.
Implementation Method 1
The example apparatus, method, and system are configured to provide synchronization by detecting how an image changes between frames. The image change corresponds to detecting the regular and predictable movement of human tissue, such as pulsing of a blood vessel.
Implementation Method 2
Some known surgical camera systems have a fluorescence feature that highlights certain human tissue that emits light in a fluorescence emission spectrum when exposed to fluorescence excitation light.
Implementation Method 3
The alternating image data is combined together such that the fluorescence image data is enhanced for human viewing, made partially transparent, and overlaid on the visible image data.
Data Source
AI summary
Video overlay synchronization for a digital surgical stereoscope is disclosed herein. In an example, a system provides synchronization by detecting how an image changes between frames. The image change corresponds to detecting the regular and predictable movement of human tissue, such as pulsing of a blood vessel. Peaks or maximum extents of tissue movement is tracked overtime to determine an estimation of the regular periodic movement. This periodic movement is used to align a short recording of images corresponding to a fluorescence imaging mode with a live or near-live recording of images in a visible light mode. The frame rate of fluorescence image data is adjusted to ensure close or almost exact alignment of tissue position shown in both the fluorescence image data and visible light image data. The system accordingly provides a fluorescence image overlay on visible light images for tissue that has regular movement patterns.