Surgical AR Overlay Verification for Navigation Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical navigation systems face challenges in accurately linking preoperative images with intraoperative reality, requiring complex setups and restricting surgeon mobility, with potential catastrophic consequences for patient safety due to minor inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A medical AR system with a visualization unit generating preoperative and real-time images, a control unit for digitizing reference points, and a navigation system for real-time accuracy verification, enabling seamless integration and automatic correction of navigation errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external tracking systems are used to link preoperative images with intraoperative reality, then navigation accuracy is improved, but device complexity and setup complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking functionality from complex external tracking systems and integrates it directly into the visualization unit. The visualization unit itself becomes the tracking device, eliminating the need for separate external tracking systems and their associated complex setup procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The visualization unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the imaging device and the tracking device. By integrating these functions into a single unit, the system reduces device complexity while maintaining navigation accuracy through self-tracking capabilities.
2Measurement precision
If external tracking systems are used for surgical navigation, then navigation accuracy is improved, but surgeon mobility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the physical constraints imposed by external tracking systems. By making the visualization unit itself the tracking device, the system eliminates the need for fixed tracking infrastructure that would restrict surgeon movement throughout the operating room.
Solution Approach 2:
The visualization unit performs self-tracking by capturing images that include the marker, determining its own position and orientation without requiring external tracking devices. This self-sufficient approach allows the surgeon to move freely while the system continuously tracks its own location.
3Manufacturing precision
If AR overlay is used to integrate preoperative data into surgical workflow, then surgical precision is improved, but cognitive burden on surgeon increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback by continuously updating the AR overlay as the visualization unit moves. The marker-based tracking enables automatic update of the registered reference points and preoperative image overlay without requiring manual intervention or complex cognitive processing by the surgeon.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a marker as a simplified copy or representation of the patient's anatomical landmarks. This marker serves as an easy-to-track reference that automatically generates the necessary transformation data for overlaying preoperative images, reducing the cognitive load compared to direct tracking of complex anatomical features.
4Manufacturing precision
If AR system integrates preoperative and real-time images, then surgical precision is improved, but navigation accuracy verification becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual differentiation in the AR overlay to indicate navigation accuracy. The system displays the position and orientation of reference points and overlay accuracy information in a visually distinct manner, allowing the surgeon to easily verify navigation accuracy without additional complex measurements or procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical augmented reality system for a surgical procedure on a patient includes a visualization unit for generating a preoperative image and a real-time image with a reference point, a navigation system for capturing the visualization unit, and a control unit for generating an augmented reality overlay display from a digitized reference point from the preoperative image and the real-time image and for displaying a comparison of the augmented reality overlay display. The navigation accuracy of the medical augmented reality system can be verified with the aid of a method, a computer-readable storage medium and/or a computer program.