Virtual Tape Bronchoscopic Path Planning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for planning and guiding bronchoscopies using virtual endoluminal renderings from CT scans often result in central path lines that obscure the view, lack visual depth cues, and appear to oscillate due to their proximity to the camera point, making it difficult for physicians to interpret the three-dimensional course of the airway.
Innovation Solution
A virtual tape is projected onto the wall of the body lumen along the planned path, orthogonal to the central path at a constant included angle, providing visual depth cues and avoiding occlusion of the lumen center, with the option to project in predetermined directions and color-code for orientation, allowing better visualization during planning and intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a central path line is used to indicate the intervention path, then the path can be clearly marked, but it occludes the view into the center of the airway and appears to oscillate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the path indication from the central 2D plane to the 3D wall surface of the airway. By projecting the tape onto the lumen wall rather than placing it in the center, the indication is relocated to a different spatial dimension where it no longer occludes the central view or exhibits oscillation artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the path indication (the tape) that is projected onto the airway wall. This virtual tape follows the central path trajectory but is rendered as if painted on the wall surface, providing the same navigational information without the visual drawbacks of a central line.
2Measurement precision
If the path line is placed close to the camera point for accurate positioning, then the path location is precise, but the path appears to strongly oscillate
Solution Approach 1:
By relocating the path indication to the airway wall surface rather than the central camera plane, the patent eliminates the oscillation artifact while preserving accurate path positioning. The wall projection provides a stable reference frame that does not suffer from the camera-point proximity oscillation problem.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the virtual tape is projected onto the lumen wall to avoid occlusion, then the view is improved, but the tape may lose precision in indicating the central path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the airway wall as an intermediary surface to display the path information. The virtual tape is projected onto the wall at each point along the central path, using the wall as a mediator to convey central path information without occupying the central space. This maintains both view quality and path indication precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual tape is rendered with specific visual properties including color coding to indicate orientation (e.g., ventral vs. dorsal directions). These visual characteristics enhance the tape's ability to convey precise directional information about the central path while remaining on the wall surface.
4Loss of information
If two virtual tapes are projected in ventral and dorsal directions with color coding, then orientation information is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual tape system is designed to perform multiple functions: it indicates the path trajectory, provides orientation information through color coding, and maintains visual stability. By making the tape multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate indication elements while comprehensively addressing navigational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses color coding on the virtual tapes to encode directional orientation information. Different colors represent different orientations (e.g., ventral vs. dorsal), allowing the system to convey complex spatial information through a simple visual attribute rather than requiring multiple separate indicators.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system and program product are provided for planning an intervention procedure in a body lumen. A CT scan of the body lumen is performed. A virtual rendering is created of the inside of the body lumen corresponding to an interventional camera image. Then a virtual tape corresponding to a planned path for the intervention procedure is projected onto a wall of the body lumen. The virtual tape is projected onto the lumen wall, which is relatively distant from the camera point on the virtual rendering, so the tape does not appear to oscillate like a central thread. Also, since the virtual tape is located on the lumen wall, it does not occlude the center of the lumen, allowing a user to better visualize the lumen during planning, during fly through, and even during an actual intervention.