Mediated-Reality Surgical Visualization Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgeons face challenges in integrating pre-operative three-dimensional images into surgical procedures due to positional variations and the need to divide attention between the surgical field and image displays, which can divert focus and reduce operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A mediated-reality system that aligns pre-operative images with real-time images using fiducial markers and post-positioning images, allowing for a seamless overlay on a head-mounted display, enabling surgeons to visualize underlying anatomy without diverting their attention from the surgical site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If pre-operative images are displayed on a separate display device, then anatomical information is provided to the surgeon, but the surgeon's attention is diverted from the surgical site
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges pre-operative anatomical images with real-time surgical field views by projecting the anatomical images onto the surgical site itself. This allows the surgeon to see both the surgical field and anatomical references simultaneously in the same visual field, eliminating the need to shift attention between separate displays while maintaining complete focus on the surgical area.
2Loss of information
If pre-operative images are used during surgery, then anatomical guidance is provided, but positional variations between pre-operative and intraoperative anatomy reduce accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary registration of anatomical landmarks and creates a spatial mapping between pre-operative imaging coordinates and the actual surgical field positions before the surgical procedure begins. This pre-establishment of coordinate transformations allows real-time correction of positional variations, maintaining anatomical alignment accuracy despite changes in patient positioning or tissue deformation during surgery.
3Loss of information
If the surgeon divides attention between surgical field and image displays, then anatomical reference is available, but operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical field and anatomical reference images are merged into a single unified visual display through projection onto the surgical site. This integration allows the surgeon to access anatomical references without breaking visual continuity with the surgical field, maintaining uninterrupted workflow and maximizing surgical efficiency while providing complete anatomical guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
A mediated-reality system for surgical applications incorporates pre-operative images and real-time captured images of a surgical site into a visualization presented on a head-mounted display worn by a surgeon during a surgical procedure. The mediated-reality system tracks the surgeon's head position and generates real-time images of the surgical site from a virtual camera perspective corresponding to the surgeon's head position to mimic the natural viewpoint of the surgeon. The mediated-reality system furthermore aligns the pre-operative images with the real-time images from the virtual camera perspective and presents a mediated-reality visualization of the surgical site with the aligned pre-operative three-dimensional images or a selected portion thereof overlaid on the real-time images representing the virtual camera perspective.