Surgical Image Guidance for Real-Time Soft Tissue Deformation Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical systems struggle to accurately track and visualize the spatial extent and deformation of regions of interest, such as lesions, during surgery due to soft tissue deformation, leading to challenges in surgical accuracy and increased reoperation rates.
Innovation Solution
A surgical image guidance system that integrates optical devices and robotic arm assemblies to track soft tissue deformation in real-time, combining preoperative and intraoperative imaging data to generate a 3D volumetric model, displaying the region of interest and surgical instrument position, and adjusting the field of view to facilitate precise surgical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional surgical systems are used to track regions of interest, then the system complexity remains low, but the measurement precision of tissue deformation and spatial extent deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple imaging modalities (optical surface imaging and ultrasound subsurface imaging) into a unified surgical guidance system. The optical device captures surface deformation while the ultrasound device tracks subsurface region of interest, and these are merged into a single 3D model that provides comprehensive tracking precision without requiring multiple separate complex systems
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guidance system performs multiple functions through integrated components: the optical device simultaneously captures surface geometry and deformation, the ultrasound device provides subsurface imaging and region tracking, and the processing circuit synthesizes both data streams into a unified 3D model that serves both tracking and visualization purposes
2Manufacturing precision
If real-time tracking of soft tissue deformation is implemented, then the surgical accuracy is improved, but the loss of time for data processing and model updating increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously capturing surface data with the optical device and subsurface data with the ultrasound device before surgical intervention occurs. The 3D model is pre-computed and ready for real-time updates, allowing the processing circuit to quickly adjust the model based on new deformation data without extensive processing delays during critical surgical moments
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical guidance system implements dynamic updating of the 3D model based on real-time surface deformation measurements. The processing circuit continuously receives new optical and ultrasound data, updates the 3D model parameters accordingly, and maintains current spatial relationships between surface features and subsurface regions of interest, enabling adaptive tracking throughout the surgical procedure
3Reliability
If multiple imaging devices are integrated to capture both surface and subsurface data, then the reliability of region of interest tracking is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from the optical device (surface imaging) and ultrasound device (subsurface imaging) into a single integrated 3D model. This combination allows the system to track both surface deformation and subsurface region of interest simultaneously, improving tracking reliability by cross-validating measurements from multiple modalities while presenting a unified view to the surgeon
4Ease of operation
If continuous visualization of surgical instrument position and tissue deformation is provided, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of time for data transmission and display updates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing circuit performs preliminary computations to establish the relationship between surface features and subsurface regions of interest before surgical intervention. The 3D model is pre-configured with tracking parameters and visualization settings, allowing the system to quickly update and display surgical instrument position and tissue deformation in real-time without extensive processing delays during the procedure
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical image guidance system, including: a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processing circuit to: receive, from an optical device, surface data characterizing a surface of a portion of soft tissue; receive, from an intraoperative imaging device, subsurface data characterizing a subsurface of the portion of soft tissue, wherein the subsurface includes a region of interest; measure, based on the surface data, deformation of the surface of the portion of soft tissue; update, based on at least one of (i) the deformation of the surface and (ii) the subsurface data, a model including a representation of the region of interest; and transmit a visual representation of the model to be displayed to a user.