Surgical Microscope Image Alignment via Reference Coordinates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems struggle to accurately align preoperative and intraoperative images during ophthalmic surgery, making it difficult for operators to ensure precise alignment for optimal surgical outcomes.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that generates a displayed image by superimposing reference images on preoperative and intraoperative images, allowing for adjustment of scale, position, and orientation to ensure accurate alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If preoperative and intraoperative images are superimposed without reference coordinates, then the display is simple, but it is difficult to accurately check alignment
Solution Approach 1:
Reference coordinates are introduced as an intermediary element to mediate between the preoperative image and the intraoperative image. These coordinates serve as a common reference framework that enables accurate alignment verification without requiring complex processing of the images themselves. The reference coordinates act as a mediator that translates the alignment relationship between two different imaging contexts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copied representation of the reference coordinates that appears in both the preoperative image context and the intraoperative image context. This copied reference framework allows operators to verify alignment by comparing the same coordinate system across different imaging stages, without needing to perform complex image matching or transformation operations.
2Productivity
If operators manually verify alignment of preoperative and intraoperative images, then no additional processing is needed, but it consumes significant time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically generating and displaying the reference coordinates and their superimposed positions. Instead of requiring operators to manually verify alignment through complex image analysis, the system automatically prepares the visual information needed for verification, including the reference coordinate overlays and multiple image arrangements, thereby reducing the time and effort operators must invest in the verification process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the scale and orientation of images are fixed, then processing is simple, but flexibility in alignment adjustment is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustability of image scale and orientation parameters. The system allows operators to modify the magnification, position, and rotation of either the preoperative image or the intraoperative image to achieve optimal alignment. This dynamic capability enables flexible adaptation to different surgical scenarios and patient anatomies while maintaining a relatively simple processing framework through the use of reference coordinates.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an image processing device (13) including a displayed-image generation unit (13f) configured to generate a displayed image in which a first reference image indicating reference coordinates of a preoperative image that is a captured image of an eyeball of a patient before surgery is superimposed on the preoperative image, and a second reference image indicating reference coordinates of an intraoperative image that is a captured image of the eyeball of the patient at the start of the surgery or during the surgery is superimposed on the intraoperative image, wherein the displayed-image generation unit arranges the first reference image and the second reference image such that the respective reference coordinates of the preoperative image and the intraoperative image correspond to each other, and such that a scale, a position, or an orientation of at least one of the preoperative image or the intraoperative image is changeable, to generate the displayed image.