Surgical Instrument Display for Real-Time Fluoroscopic Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical professionals face challenges during procedures like intramedullary nailing due to inadequate visualization of fluoroscopic images, leading to difficulties in aligning instruments correctly, which can result in improper placement of implants and increased surgical time.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument assembly with a processor and display that receives real-time fluoroscopic data from a medical imaging device, allowing for improved visualization and alignment of instruments with respect to X-ray travel direction, and providing visual indications for proper orientation and trajectory during procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a medical professional views fluoroscopic images on a separate medical imaging device display, then real-time imaging guidance is available, but alignment precision of surgical instruments deteriorates due to difficulty in simultaneously monitoring patient anatomy and display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the fluoroscopic display with the surgical instrument by mounting a display device directly onto the surgical instrument handle. This integration allows the surgeon to view real-time fluoroscopic images and instrument trajectory overlays directly at the instrument location, eliminating the need to switch attention between separate displays and the surgical field, thereby improving alignment precision while maintaining continuous imaging guidance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a camera system as an intermediary that captures images of the surgical field and patient anatomy, then overlays these with fluoroscopic data and trajectory information on the display. This intermediary visual integration system mediates between the separate imaging device and the surgeon's view, providing combined anatomical and instrument positioning information in a single integrated display
2Loss of information
If a separate medical imaging device display is used, then fluoroscopic guidance is provided, but surgical procedure efficiency deteriorates due to increased surgical time from difficulty in monitoring and aligning
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the fluoroscopic display with the surgical instrument, the system eliminates the time loss associated with repeatedly adjusting and monitoring separate displays during the procedure. The integrated display provides continuous real-time feedback on instrument positioning relative to anatomical targets, allowing surgeons to complete alignment and drilling operations more efficiently while maintaining fluoroscopic guidance throughout the procedure
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
Enhances the accuracy and efficiency of surgical procedures by providing real-time, aligned views of fluoroscopic data, reducing the risk of improper implant placement and shortening surgical time.
Implementation Method 1
the X-ray source or transmitter emits X-rays that penetrate a patient's body
Implementation Method 2
The X-ray detector or image intensifier converts the X-rays that pass through the body into a visible image that is displayed on a monitor
Data Source
AI summary
A C-arm, or a mobile intensifier device, is one example of a medical imaging device that is based on X-ray technology. Because a C-arm device can display high-resolution X-ray images in real time, a physician can monitor progress at any time during an operation, and thus can take appropriate actions based on the displayed images. Monitoring the images, however, is often challenging during certain procedures, for instance during procedures in which attention must be paid to the patient's anatomy as well as a medical imaging device display. In an example, a surgical instrument assembly includes a processor, a surgical instrument configured to operate on an anatomical structure, and a display coupled to the processor and attached to the surgical instrument. The display can be configured to display visual information comprising X-ray images generated by a medical imaging device, depth gauge information generated by a depth gauge coupled to the surgical instrument, and trajectory information associated with various intramedullary nailing operations.