Device and method for generating a virtual anatomic environment

• US 20060099557A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surgical Science Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Surgical Science Sweden AB
• Inventors: Lonroth, Hans, Hyltander, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for generating a virtual anatomic environment for use in minimally invasive surgery simulation, comprising the steps of: incorporating a main virtual anatomic environment (1); selecting a local anatomic environment (2) from a predefined library (3) comprising a set of two or more simulated local anatomic environments (2); including the selected local anatomic environment (2) in said main anatomic environment (1) to form a total virtual anatomic environment (4). The invention also relates to a device for generating a virtual anatomic environment for use in minimally invasive surgery simulation, as well as a computer-based minimal-invasive surgery simulation system comprising such a device.

Claims

1. A method for generating a virtual anatomic environment for use in a computer based visual simulation of minimally invasive surgery, comprising the steps of:

providing a main virtual anatomic environment, and

selecting a local anatomic environment from a predefined library comprising a set of two or more separately modelled local anatomic environments,

including the selected local anatomic environment in said main anatomic environment to form said virtual anatomic environment,

thereby allowing generation of different virtual environments.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said set of local anatomic environments is arranged to represent a set of anatomic variations for a critical internal area, occurring in living beings.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a local anatomic environment from a predefined library comprising two or more of simulated local anatomic environments further comprises the step of randomly selecting one of the local anatomic environments in the library.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the probability of randomly selecting a certain local anatomic environment essentially corresponds with the degree of occurrence of that local anatomic environment in living beings.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the main virtual anatomic environment is arranged to model an internal cavity of a human, such as an abdominal cavity or a chest cavity, while the set of local anatomic environments is arranged to simulate different arrangements of arteries, veins and ducts around an organ arranged in said internal cavity, such as a gall bladder or a heart.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selecting, by user selection, a certain one of said local anatomic environments from said library and including it into said main virtual environment.

13. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of selecting a local anatomic environment from a predefined library comprising two or more of simulated local anatomic environments further comprises the step of randomly selecting one of the local anatomic environments in the library.

14. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of selecting, by user selection, a certain one of said local anatomic environments from said library and including it into said main virtual environment.

15. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of selecting, by user selection, a certain one of said local anatomic environments from said library and including it into said main virtual environment.

7. A device for generating a virtual anatomic environment for use in a computer based visual simulation of minimally invasive surgery, comprising:

a modelling device for providing a main virtual anatomic environment,

a library, comprising a set of two or more separately modelled local anatomic environments, and

means for incorporating one of the local anatomic environments of the library into the main virtual anatomic environment, together forming said virtual anatomic environment,

thereby allowing generation of different virtual environments.

8. A device according to claim 7, further comprising a selection device for selecting one of said local anatomic environments from said library to be included in said main anatomic environment.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the selection device is arranged to randomly select one of said local anatomic environments from said library to be included in said main anatomic environment.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the selection device is arranged to randomly select one of said local anatomic environments in such a way that the probability of selecting a certain local anatomic environment essentially corresponds with the degree of occurrence of that local anatomic environment in human beings.

11. A device according to claim 7, wherein the main virtual anatomic environment is arranged to model an internal cavity of a human, such as an abdominal cavity or a chest cavity, while the set of local anatomic environments is arranged to simulate different arrangements of arteries, veins and ducts around an organ arranged in said internal cavity, such as a gall bladder or a heart.

12. A computer-based minimal-invasive surgery simulation system, comprising a device for generating a virtual anatomic environment as described in claim 7.

16. A device according to claim 8, wherein the main virtual anatomic environment is arranged to model an internal cavity of a human, such as an abdominal cavity or a chest cavity, while the set of local anatomic environments is arranged to simulate different arrangements of arteries, veins and ducts around an organ arranged in said internal cavity, such as a gall bladder or a heart.

17. A device according to claim 9, wherein the main virtual anatomic environment is arranged to model an internal cavity of a human, such as an abdominal cavity or a chest cavity, while the set of local anatomic environments is arranged to simulate different arrangements of arteries, veins and ducts around an organ arranged in said internal cavity, such as a gall bladder or a heart.

18. A device according to claim 10, wherein the main virtual anatomic environment is arranged to model an internal cavity of a human, such as an abdominal cavity or a chest cavity, while the set of local anatomic environments is arranged to simulate different arrangements of arteries, veins and ducts around an organ arranged in said internal cavity, such as a gall bladder or a heart.

19. A computer-based minimal-invasive surgery simulation system, comprising a device for generating a virtual anatomic environment as described in claim 8.

20. A computer-based minimal-invasive surgery simulation system, comprising a device for generating a virtual anatomic environment as described in claim 9.