Virtual Contrast Insertion in CT and MRI for Surgical Hardware Planning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Interventional radiologists and surgeons face challenges in selecting optimal hardware for surgeries due to uncertainties, often using multiple pieces of hardware before determining the optimal one during the procedure.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that assign tissue type properties to voxels in medical images, allowing for three-dimensional simulations by manipulating voxels based on these properties and user inputs, enabling virtual motion, deformation, and radiological dissection, which aids in surgical planning by creating, manipulating, and eliminating voxels to optimize hardware selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pieces of hardware are used during surgery to determine the optimal one, then surgical flexibility and adaptability are improved, but surgical time and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs virtual simulations of hardware insertion and tissue deformation before surgery to pre-determine the optimal hardware configuration. This preliminary action allows surgeons to evaluate multiple hardware options in silico, selecting the best candidate beforehand and avoiding the need to try multiple physical hardware pieces during surgery, thus reducing surgical time while maintaining adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of surgical hardware and anatomical structures in a computational model. These digital twins allow for realistic simulation of hardware-tissue interactions without consuming actual surgical time. The virtual hardware models can be tested repeatedly with different configurations to identify the optimal choice before the actual procedure
2Reliability
If multiple hardware options are tested during surgery, then the optimal hardware selection is improved, but device complexity and procedural difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical trial-and-error process of testing multiple physical hardware pieces with a computational simulation system. The simulation uses virtual models to predict hardware performance and tissue deformation, substituting complex physical procedures with computational algorithms that automatically evaluate multiple hardware options and identify the optimal selection
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation framework performs preliminary evaluation of hardware options before surgery, determining the optimal hardware configuration in advance. This preliminary analysis reduces procedural complexity during surgery by eliminating the need for intraoperative hardware testing and decision-making
3Measurement precision
If three-dimensional simulations with voxel manipulation are performed, then surgical planning accuracy and hardware selection are improved, but computational requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the anatomical volume into discrete voxels, each assigned tissue type properties. This segmentation allows for efficient computational handling of complex deformations by treating the tissue as a grid of manageable units. Each voxel can be independently manipulated based on its tissue properties, enabling realistic simulation without requiring excessive computational resources to model continuous deformations
Solution Approach 2:
The simulation changes physical parameters such as elasticity, density, and viscosity to model different tissue types and deformation behaviors. By parameterizing tissue properties rather than modeling complex molecular interactions, the system achieves high measurement precision in predicting tissue response to hardware insertion while keeping computational energy requirements manageable through efficient numerical methods
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for performing an angiographic simulation is disclosed. A vascular structure is segmented within a 3D imaging dataset, such as a CT scan or MRI scan. The voxels corresponding to virtual contrast are placed within the segmented vascular structure. Multi-phase simulations can be performed to track contrast flow through the vascular tree. Some embodiments comprises inserting virtual contrast in conjunction with performing a deformity of the vascular structure.