Surgical Navigation Display for Anatomical Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current display systems for surgical procedures, such as spinal interventions, often lack detailed visualization of anatomical structures like soft tissues, making it difficult for surgeons to accurately position instruments relative to vertebral bodies during procedures like intervertebral disc replacement.
Innovation Solution
An electromagnetic navigation system that tracks instruments in three-dimensional space, allowing for the display of instrument location and adjacent anatomical structures, even if they are not directly within the instrument's field of view, by using image data and dynamic reference frames to provide comprehensive visualization on a display device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If image data is displayed to show anatomical structures, then visualization of soft tissues is improved, but image quality and detail are worsened due to lack of soft tissue representation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by displaying both imaged anatomical structures and non-imaged structures. The system uses a display device that presents a composite view where tracked instrument location is overlaid on available image data, while also indicating the presence and location of structures not directly imaged. This intermediary representation allows surgeons to visualize complete anatomical context without requiring high-quality soft tissue imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the anatomical visualization into two distinct components: imaged portions (vertebral bodies with good imaging quality) and non-imaged portions (soft tissues with poor or no imaging quality). By separating these components and displaying them differently on the same interface, the system maintains accuracy for imaged structures while providing sufficient information about non-imaged structures through tracking data and spatial relationships.
2Measurement precision
If only imaged portions are displayed, then image quality is maintained, but complete anatomical context is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The display device serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays high-quality image data for imaged portions, overlays tracked instrument location information, and provides visual indication of non-imaged anatomical structures. This multi-functional display allows the system to maintain image quality for critical structures while adding comprehensive anatomical context through additional visual elements that represent both imaged and non-imaged portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a dimensional layer to the display by representing non-imaged structures through spatial relationships and tracking data rather than traditional image rendering. This creates a multi-dimensional visualization where imaged portions are shown with high-fidelity imaging, while non-imaged portions are represented through their spatial coordinates and relationships to imaged structures, providing complete anatomical context without compromising image quality.
3Manufacturing precision
If tracking system is added to show instrument location, then surgical precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tracking system with the existing display device by overlaying instrument location information directly onto the anatomical visualization. Rather than adding a separate complex tracking interface, the system combines tracking data with the anatomical display, showing tracked instrument position superimposed on the anatomical structures. This integration improves positioning accuracy while minimizing additional system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system serves the existing display device by providing location information that enhances the anatomical visualization without requiring a completely separate display interface. The tracked instrument location automatically updates and overlays on the anatomical structures, allowing the display device to serve dual purposes: showing anatomical context and providing surgical guidance, thereby improving precision without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for displaying information regarding a common axis in a subject, comprising a navigation system (202) having a tracking system (204) configured to determine a location of an instrument relative to at least a first portion of a subject and a second portion of the subject along the common axis; a navigation processor (250) configured to execute instructions to determine the location of the instrument for illustrating with a display device (256) a representation of the instrument in both of a first direction along the a common axis extending through the first portion of the subject and a second direction along the common axis extending through the second portion of the subject; wherein a first image of the first portion of the subject and a second image of the second portion of the subject are operable to be displayed along the common axis extending through the first portion and the second portion of the subject; and wherein the first image of the first portion of the subject and the second image of the second portion of the subject are of the respective first portion and second portion at least a selected distance along the single common axis away from the instrument; wherein the first image is of the first portion of the subject and the second image is of the second portion of the subject along the single common axis.