Surgical Navigation Image Filtering for Obstruction Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current visualization systems during surgical procedures face challenges in providing clear and accurate feedback to surgeons when there are line-of-sight restrictions, such as bleeding or other obstructions, which can hinder the precision and efficiency of surgical tasks.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system that includes a computing device coupled with imaging devices and filters to differentiate between tissue and blood, remove line-of-sight restrictions, and generate filtered images for display, allowing surgeons to visualize the surgical site effectively even with obstructions present.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimal incisions are used to reduce surgical site size, then patient trauma is reduced, but the field of view for the surgeon is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary visualization system that processes surgical site images and removes blood obstructions computationally. This mediator allows the surgeon to see through minimal incisions without direct line of sight, resolving the contradiction between small incisions and adequate field of view.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a processed copy of the surgical site view by capturing images through the minimal incision, removing blood obstructions algorithmically, and presenting a cleaned visualization to the surgeon. This copy provides the necessary field of view without requiring larger physical incisions.
2Productivity
If blood is present in the surgical site, then surgical procedure can proceed, but line of sight is obstructed reducing accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes blood pixels from the surgical site images through color-based filtering and image processing algorithms. By taking out the obstructing blood elements computationally, the system maintains surgical procedure progress while restoring measurement precision and surgical accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the visual parameters of the surgical site representation by detecting blood based on color characteristics and removing or replacing those pixels. This parameter transformation allows the surgical procedure to continue with blood present while maintaining image quality and surgical accuracy through computational parameter modification.
3Ease of operation
If filters are applied to remove blood from images, then line of sight is restored, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical filtering systems with computational image processing algorithms. Instead of using physical filters or mechanical means to remove blood, the system uses software-based color detection and pixel manipulation, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining visualization clarity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a processed copy of the surgical image with blood removed through algorithmic manipulation. This computational copying approach is simpler than mechanical filtering systems, achieving visualization clarity through software-based image duplication and modification rather than complex physical filtering apparatus.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A system for visualizing a surgical site is provided. The system includes a robotic mechanism for performing a procedure on a patient, an imaging device coupled to the robotic mechanism, the imaging device configured to provide image data of a site of interest, and a computing device coupled to the imaging device. The computing device includes one or more processors and at least one memory device configured to store executable instructions. The executable instructions, when executed by the processor, are configured to receive the image data of the site of interest, track motion patterns of the site of interest in the received image data, filter the received image data to remove line-of-sight restrictions therein and alter pixels therein based on the tracked motion patterns, and generate an output frame from the filtered image data. The system also includes a presentation interface device coupled to the computing device and configured to present the output frame for visualization of the site of interest.