Automated Arm Surgical Camera Tracking for Intracranial Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intracranial surgical procedures face challenges due to incompatibility of existing optical imaging devices, including poor imaging sensor field of view, magnification, alignment issues, glare, and fluid occlusions, which hinder effective port-based navigation and imaging stabilization during minimally invasive brain surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A medical navigation system comprising a computing device, a tracking camera, and an automated arm assembly with a surgical camera, controlled by the computing device to maintain the surgical site within the camera's field of view, using tracking markers to determine the medical device's position and pose, allowing for precise alignment and image stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a camera is manually aligned to image the access port, then the field of view can be adjusted, but the camera becomes susceptible to misalignment by being knocked, agitated, or inadvertently moved by personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical alignment with an automated optical tracking system. The camera is mounted on an automated positioning system that uses optical tracking to continuously monitor and adjust the camera's position and orientation relative to the access port, eliminating the need for manual alignment and preventing misalignment caused by personnel movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback through optical tracking of the access port and automated adjustment of the camera position. The tracking system provides real-time position data, and the automated positioning system adjusts the camera to maintain proper alignment, creating a closed-loop control system that compensates for movements and disturbances.
2Adaptability or versatility
If optical imaging devices are used for port-based procedures, then imaging capability is provided, but issues with glare, excessive fluids, and occlusion of view by fluids impair the ability to perform port-based navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary automated positioning system between the camera and the surgical field. This system uses optical tracking markers and computational algorithms to compensate for the effects of glare and fluid occlusion by automatically adjusting the camera's position and orientation to optimize the view, rather than relying on the camera's fixed optical properties alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the camera's positional parameters (x, y, z coordinates and orientation angles) in response to tracked movements of the access port and surgical instruments. This continuous parameter adjustment allows the camera to maintain optimal viewing angles despite changes in lighting conditions, fluid presence, and surgical field configuration.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If indirect access port tracking methods are used, then tracking capability is provided, but the limited access available due to required equipment makes these methods impractical and unfeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tracking function from the imaging function. The optical tracking system uses separate tracking markers attached to the access port and surgical instruments, which are detected by dedicated tracking cameras. This segmentation allows the tracking system to operate independently from the surgical access constraints, providing accurate position and orientation data without interfering with the limited surgical access.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the position of the access port axis relative to a typical tracking device is a free and uncontrolled parameter, then flexibility in positioning is provided, but this prohibits the determination of access port orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds angular/orientational dimensions to the tracking system by attaching tracking markers in specific geometric patterns on the access port. This allows the system to not only track the position of the access port but also determine its orientation in three-dimensional space by analyzing the spatial relationships between multiple markers, thereby providing both positioning flexibility and precise orientation determination.
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 enhances image stabilization and navigation precision, enabling effective port-based intracranial surgical procedures by maintaining the surgical site within the camera's view and adjusting the automated arm to compensate for misalignments and fluid occlusions, improving surgical accuracy and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a tracking camera for tracking medical devices... the position in space of the medical device determined by the computing device based on a signal provided to the computing device by the tracking camera
Data Source
AI summary
A medical navigation system is provided, comprising a computing device having a processor coupled to a memory, a tracking camera for tracking medical devices, and a display for displaying an image; an automated arm assembly electrically coupled to the computing device and controlled by a signal provided by the computing device, the automated arm assembly including a multi-joint arm having a distal end connectable to an effector that supports a surgical camera electrically coupled to the computing device; and a medical device having a tracking marker attachable to the medical device. The computing device is configured to position the automated arm assembly, based on an input command, in response to a position in space of the medical device such that a surgical site of interest remains within a field of view of the surgical camera, the position in space of the medical device determined by the computing device based on a signal provided to the computing device by the tracking camera; and display on the display an image provided by an image signal generated by the surgical camera.