User interface for remote control of medical devices

• US 20060025679A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Stereotaxis, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Stereotaxis, Inc.
• Inventors: Viswanathan, Raju R., Blume, Walter M., Garibaldi, Jeffrey M., Rauch, John
• Application Number:
  US11/146,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025679A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2074 Interface software
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3958 emitting a signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation

Abstract

An interface for remotely controlling a medical device in a patient'"'"'s body provides a two dimensional display of a three dimensional rendering of the operating region, and allows the user to select the orientation or location of the distal end of the medical device on the display and then operate a navigation system to cause the distal end of the medical device to approximately assume the selected orientation or location.

Claims

1. An interface for indicating a direction in an operating region in a subject, the interface comprising:

a display displaying a representation of a three-dimensional object, points on the surface of the three dimensional object corresponding to directions in the operating region;

a control for selectively changing the orientation of the representation of the three dimensional object displayed on the display; and

a control for selecting a location on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object to identify a direction in the operating region.

2. The interface according to claim 1 further comprising indicators associated with the representation of the three dimensional object, indicating locations on the representations on the three dimensional object corresponding to specified directions in the subject.

3. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicators comprises at least one pair of markers on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object, on opposite sides thereof, the representation of the three dimensional object indicating at least one of the cranial-caudal direction, the anterior-posterior direction, and the left lateral—

right lateral direction on the surface of the three dimensional object.

4. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicator comprises at least one marker on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object indicating a direction corresponding to a particular anatomical feature.

5. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicator comprises at least one marker on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object indicating a direction corresponding to a particular anatomical feature based upon an idealized anatomical model.

6. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicator comprises at least one marker on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object indicating a direction corresponding to a particular anatomical feature based upon pre-procedure imaging of the subject'"'"'s anatomy.

7. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicator comprises at least one marker on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object indicating a direction corresponding to a particular anatomical feature based upon intra-procedure imaging of the subject'"'"'s anatomy.

8. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the indicators comprise at least one marker on the surface of the representation of the three dimensional object indicating a point corresponding to a direction previously stored by the user.

9. The interface according to claim 2 further comprising a representation of a portion of operating region inside the representation of the three dimensional object to show the relationship between the directions on the representation of the three dimensional object and the directions in the operating region.

10. The interface according to claim 9 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from subject specific data.

11. The interface according to claim 9 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from idealized anatomical models.

12. The interface according to claim 2 wherein the three dimensional object is a sphere.

13. The interface according to claim 12, further comprising indicators associated with the representation of the sphere, indicating locations on the sphere corresponding to specified directions in the subject.

14. The interface according to claim 13 further comprising a pair of indicators on the representation of the three dimensional object, defining an axis there through, and further comprising latitude lines on the surface of the sphere, relative to the pair of indicators.

15. The interface according to claim 13 further comprising a pair of indicators on the representation of the three dimensional object, defining an axis there through, and further comprising longitude lines on the surface of the sphere, relative to the pair of indicators.

16. The interface according to claim 13 further comprising a pair of indicators on the representation of the three dimensional object, defining an axis there through, and further comprising latitude and longitude lines on the surface of the sphere, relative to the pair of indicators.

17. The interface according to claim 13 further comprising at least two pairs of indicators on the representation of the three dimensional object, each pair defining an axis there through, and further comprising at least one of latitude lines or longitude lines on the surface of the object for each pair of and latitude lines on the surface of the sphere, relative to each pair of indicators.

18. The interface according to claim 12 further comprising a control for selecting between at least a first display condition in which latitude lines are displayed on the surface of the sphere, and a second display condition in which longitude lines are displayed on the surface of the sphere.

19. The interface according to claim 12 further comprising a representation of a portion of operating region inside the representation of the three dimensional object to show the relationship between the directions on the representation of the three dimensional object and the directions in the operating region.

20. The interface according to claim 17 further comprising a representation of a portion of operating region inside the representation of the three dimensional object to show the relationship between the directions on the representation of the three dimensional object and the directions in the operating region.

21. The interface according to claim 20 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from subject specific data.

22. The interface according to claim 21 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from subject specific data.

23. The interface according to claim 21 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from idealized anatomical models.

24. The interface according to claim 20 wherein the representation of a portion of the operating region is derived from idealized anatomical models.

25. The interface according to claim 1 wherein the three dimensional object is a geometric shape.

26. The interface according to claim 1 wherein the three dimensional object is an idealized model of an anatomical structure in the operating region.

27. The interface according to claim 1 wherein the three dimensional object is an anatomical structure in the operating region.

28. A method of indicating the desired direction of orientation of a portion of a remotely controlled medical device in an operating region in a subject to a remote navigation system for remotely controlling the portion of the medical device in the operating region, the method comprising:

displaying a representation of a three dimensional object on a display, the points on the surface of which correspond to directions in the operating region; and

selecting a point on the surface of the object to indicate to the remote navigation system the desired direction of orientation of the portion of the medical device.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein the step of selecting a point comprises reorienting the three dimensional object on the display and selecting a point on the surface of the reoriented object.

30. The method according to claim 28 further comprising displaying indicators of direction in the operating region on the surface of the representation of the object.

31. A method of indicating the desired direction of orientation of a medical device in an operating region in a subject to a remote navigation system, for orienting the portion of the medical device in the operating region, the method comprising selecting a point on the surface of a manipulable representation of a three-dimensional object whose surface points correspond to directions in the operating region.

32. The method according to claim 31 further comprising manipulating the representation of the object by pivoting the representation about a point inside the three dimensional object represented.

33. A method of orienting a portion of a medical device in a selected direction in an operating region inside a subject'"'"'s body, the method comprising:

communicating a selected direction to a remote navigation system that can remotely orient the portion of the medical device in a selected direction by selecting a point on the surface of a displayed three-dimensional object whose surface has points corresponding to the directions in the operating region.

34. The method according to claim 33 further comprising selectively displaying indicators on the surface of the representation of the object, the indicators identifying points on the surface which correspond to specific directions in the operating region.

35. The method according to claim 34 wherein the specific directions include at least one standard anatomical direction relating to the subject'"'"'s body.

36. The method according to claim 34 wherein the specific directions include at least one direction which corresponds to a standard anatomical direction relating to the operating region.

37. A method of indicating a target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject to a medical device navigation system capable of orienting and advancing the distal end of an elongate medical device in the operating region to navigate the distal end of the medical device to the target destination, the method comprising:

displaying an image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region; and

accepting an identification of a point on the surface of the displayed image to identify a target destination to the medical device navigation system.

38. A method of indicating a target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject to a medical device navigation system capable of orienting and advancing the distal end of an elongate medical device in the operating region to navigate the distal end of the medical device to the target destination, the method comprising:

medically imaging the operating region to create a three dimensional image of an anatomical structure in the operating region;

registering the image with the medical navigation system so that a point on the image corresponds to the location of the point in the operating region in the frame of reference of the medical navigation system;

displaying an image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region; and

accepting an identification of a point on the surface of the displayed image to identify a target destination to the medical device navigation system.

39. A method of navigating a medical device to a selected target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject with a medical device navigation system capable of orienting and advancing the distal end of an elongate medical device in the operating region to navigate the distal end of the medical device to the target destination, the method comprising:

identifying the target destination by selecting a point on the surface of a displayed image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region.′

40. A method of navigating a medical device to a selected target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject with a medical device navigation system capable of orienting and advancing the distal end of an elongate medical device in the operating region to navigate the distal end of the medical device to the target destination, the method comprising:

displaying an image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region;

accepting an identification of a point on the surface of the displayed image to identify a target destination to the medical device navigation system; and

orienting and moving the distal end of the medical device with the medical navigation system to the location in the operating region corresponding to the point identified on the displayed image.

41. The display of claim 40, where the intersection of a cutting plane with the surface of the anatomical structure is used to define a group of points for targeted medical therapy delivery.

42. A method of navigating a medical device to a selected target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject with a medical device navigation system capable of orienting and advancing the distal end of an elongate medical device in the operating region to navigate the distal end of the medical device to the target destination, the method comprising:

medically imaging the operating region to create a three dimensional image of an anatomical structure in the operating region;

registering the image with the medical navigation system so that a point on the image corresponds the to location of the point in the operating region in the frame of reference of the medical navigation system;

displaying an image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region;

accepting an identification of a point on the surface of the displayed image to identify a target destination to the medical device navigation system; and

orienting and moving the distal end of the medical device with the medical navigation system to the location in the operating region corresponding to the point identified on the displayed image.

43. A system for navigating the distal end of a medical device to a target destination on an anatomical structure in an operating region in a subject, the system comprising:

a display with an image of an anatomical structure derived from medical imaging of the operating region;

a control allowing the user to identify a point on the image on the display;

an device orientation system for remotely orienting the distal end of the device in a selected direction on the operating region,

a device movement system for moving the distal end of the medical device in the operating region; and

a computer control for operating the device orientation system and the device advancement system to move the distal end of the medical device to the point in the operating region corresponding to the point identified by the user on the image on the display.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the display includes points derived from X-ray images are also displayed together with the image of the anatomical structure.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the display includes a computational model-derived representation of the device displayed together with the image of the anatomical structure.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the display includes an ancillary targeting surface for fine control of device configuration displayed together with the image of the anatomical structure.