Surgical Guidance Utilizing Tissue Feedback

• US 20110015649A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mcmaster University
• Original Assignee: Mcmaster University
• Inventors: YEUNG, Hon Bun, FIELDING, Timothy, LYMER, John, ANVARI, Mehran
• Application Number:
  US12/842,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20110015649A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1626 Control means; Display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1671 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1695 Trepans or craniotomes, i.e. specially adapted for drilling thin bones such as the skull
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1757 for the spine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0818 Redundant systems, e.g. using two independent measuring systems and comparing the signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3995 Multi-modality markers
• 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 34/30 Surgical robots

Abstract

A surgical system is for use with a surgical tool and a tissue characteristic sensor associated with the surgical tool. The system has an expected tissue characteristic for tissue on a predefined trajectory of the tool in a patient, and a controller to receive a sensed tissue characteristic from the tissue characteristic sensor, such sensed tissue characteristic associated with an actual trajectory of the tool. The controller compares the expected tissue characteristic for the expected location with the sensed tissue characteristic for the actual trajectory. A robot can be used to carry out automated surgical tasks and make adjustments based on differences between the expected characteristic and the sensed characteristic.

Claims

1. A surgical system for use with a surgical tool and a tissue characteristic sensor associated with the surgical tool, the system comprising:

a) an expected tissue characteristic for tissue on a predefined trajectory of the tool in a patient,

b) a controller to receive a sensed tissue characteristic from the tissue characteristic sensor, such sensed tissue characteristic associated with an actual trajectory of the tool, wherein the controller compares the expected tissue characteristic for the expected location with the sensed tissue characteristic for the actual trajectory.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display displaying information to an operator of the tool based on the compared expected tissue characteristic and sensed tissue characteristic.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the tool is operated by an operator through manual operation of the tool.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a robot for manipulating the tool, wherein the tool is operated by the operator through the operator manually operating the robot.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising the tissue characteristic sensor.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising the surgical tool.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a robot for manipulating the tool under control of the controller, which control is based on the compared expected tissue characteristic and sensed tissue characteristic.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the tissue characteristic sensor is a force sensor, the expected tissue characteristic is a force characteristic of expected tissue on the predefined trajectory, and the sensed tissue characteristic is a sensed force characteristic on the actual trajectory of the tool.

9. The system of claim 7 further comprising means for an operator to monitor robot performance while under the control of the controller.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising means for an operator to assume control away from the controller of the manipulation of the tool.

11. A method of using a surgical system, the method comprising:

a) receiving at a controller within the surgical system from a tissue characteristic sensor a sensed tissue characteristic associated with an actual trajectory of a surgical tool,

b) comparing within the controller the expected tissue characteristic for the expected location with the sensed tissue characteristic for the actual trajectory.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying information on a display to an operator of the tool based on the compared expected tissue characteristic and sensed tissue characteristic.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the tool is operated by an operator through manual operation of the tool.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the tool is operated by the operator through the operator manually operating the robot for manipulating the tool.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising sensing the tissue characteristic through the tissue characteristic sensor.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising controlling a robot under control of the controller to manipulate the tool, which control is based on the compared expected tissue characteristic and sensed tissue characteristic.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the tissue characteristic sensor is a force sensor, the expected tissue characteristic is a force characteristic of expected tissue on the predefined trajectory, and the sensed tissue characteristic is a sensed force characteristic on the actual trajectory of the tool.