REAL-TIME SURGICAL REFERENCE INDICIUM APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR INTRAOCULAR LENS IMPLANTATION

• US 20100217278A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TrueVision Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Tripathi, Ashok Burton
• Granted Patent: US 9,173,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/365 augmented reality, i.e. correlating a live optical image with another image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/16 Intraocular lenses

Abstract

Described herein are apparatus and associated methods for the generation of at least one user adjustable, accurate, real-time, virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical for use in ocular surgery. The apparatus used to generate real-time, virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical includes one or more real-time, multidimensional visualization modules, one or more data processors configured to produce real-time, virtual surgical reference indicia, and at least one user control input for adjusting the at least one real-time virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical. The associated methods generally involve the steps of providing one or more real-time multidimensional visualizations of a target surgical field, identifying at least one visual feature in a pre-operative dataset, aligning the visual features with the multidimensional visualization, and incorporating one or more real-time, virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical into the real-time visualization.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stereoscopically guiding a surgical procedure on an eye, said apparatus comprising:

at least one real-time, multidimensional visualization module for producing a real-time multidimensional visualization; and

at least one data processor configured to produce at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical in conjunction with said real-time visualization of at least a portion of said eye.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one user control input is in communication with said at least one data processor for adjusting said at least one real-time virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said at least one data processor includes an input for receiving pre-operative patient data to produce said at least one real-time, virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said pre-operative patient data comprises at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said at least one data processor utilizes said pre-operative patient data to align said at least one virtual surgical reference indicia including natural patient vertical.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image includes at least one specific visual feature identifiable by said surgeon to which said at least one virtual surgical reference indicia including natural patient vertical is fixed in orientation thereto.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said at least one specific visual feature identifiable by said surgeon comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of vasculature, vascular networks, vascular branching patterns, patterns in the iris, scratches on the cornea, dimples on the cornea, retinal features, the limbus, the pupillary boundary, deformities, voids, blotches, sequestered pigment cells, scars, darker regions, and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pre-operative patient data is captured under a dilation condition selected from the group consisting of natural dilation, chemical dilation and no dilation.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said at least one real-time, multidimensional visualization module is three dimensional (3D).

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said at least one real-time multidimensional visualization module is high definition (HD).

11. A method for stereoscopically guiding a surgeon in performing a surgical procedure on an eye, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one real-time multidimensional visualization of at least a portion of an eye to a surgeon; and

producing at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical in conjunction with said real-time visualization of at least a portion of said eye.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein said method includes the step of collecting pre-operative patient data and using said pre-operative patient data to align said at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical with said at least one real-time multidimensional visualization.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said pre-operative patient data comprises at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein said at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image includes at least one specific visual feature identifiable by said surgeon to which said at least one virtual surgical reference indicia including natural patient vertical is fixed in orientation thereto.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein said at least one specific visual feature identifiable by said surgeon comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of vasculature, vascular networks, vascular branching patterns, patterns in the iris, scratches on the cornea, dimples on the cornea, retinal features, the limbus, the pupillary boundary, deformities, voids, blotches, sequestered pigment cells, scars, darker regions, and combinations thereof.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein said at least one of said at least one real-time, virtual surgical reference indicium is aligned with said natural patient vertical.

17. The method according to claim 11 wherein said natural patient vertical is measured under a dilation condition selected from the group consisting of natural dilation, chemical dilation and no dilation.

18. The method according to claim 11 wherein said method further comprises the step of aligning an intraocular lens with said at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical.

19. A method for stereoscopically guiding a surgeon in performing a surgical procedure on an eye, said method comprising the steps of:

providing to said surgeon at least one real-time 3D HD visualization of at least a portion of an eye, said eye having at least one specific visual feature;

aligning at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image of said at least a portion of said eye including said at least one specific visual feature in said eye with said at least one real-time 3D HD visualization of at least a portion of an eye; and

incorporating at least one real-time virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical into said at least one real-time 3D HD visualization of said at least a portion of said eye.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein said method further comprises the step of aligning an intraocular lens with said at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical.

23. The method according to claim 19 wherein said at least one real-time virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical is based upon said at least one pre-operative stereoscopic still image of said at least a portion of said eye.

24. The method according to claim 19 wherein said natural patient vertical is measured under a dilation conditions selected from the group consisting of natural dilation, chemical dilation and no dilation.

25. The method according to claim 19 wherein said at least one specific visual feature comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of vasculature, vascular networks, vascular branching patterns, patterns in the iris, scratches on the cornea, dimples on the cornea, retinal features, the limbus, the pupillary boundary, deformities, voids, blotches, sequestered pigment cells, scars, darker regions, and combinations thereof on the surface of said eye.

26. The method according to claim 19 wherein said method further comprises the step of aligning an intraocular lens with said at least one virtual surgical reference indicium including natural patient vertical.