SYSTEM FOR ORIENTATION ASSISTANCE AND DISPLAY OF AN INSTRUMENT IN AN OBJECT UNDER EXAMINATION PARTICULARLY FOR USE IN HUMAN BODY

• US 20110069159A1
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg
• Original Assignee: Karl Storz Se & Co. Kg
• Inventors: Irion, Klaus-Martin, Nicolau, Stephane, Soler, Luc, Marescaux, Jacques Francois Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 9,232,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2061 using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/366 using projection of images directly onto the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras

Abstract

A system for orientation assistance and display of an instrument that is inserted or present in the natural or artificially produced hollow cavity (human, animal, object), and that is equipped with one or more sensor units. Multiple measurements of the 3D position of the instrument equipped with one or more sensor units are performed by positioning a measuring system, so that a precise orientation and positioning of the instrument in the body can be computed. The 3D position data are used to compute a virtual image of the instrument synchronously. The virtual images are then either projected directly in exact position onto the body surface of a person or combined in a body surface image (real video camera image of the patient) onto a monitor or superimposed (virtual or augmented reality). The system is especially appropriate for displaying for a user a medical instrument, such as a catheter or a rigid or flexible endoscope, in the body of a person in real time, extracorporeally and in correct position.

Claims

1. The system for orientation assistance and display of an instrument in an object under examination, in particular an endoscope for use in the human or animal body comprising:

a data acquisition unit with a video camera device that is situated outside the object under examination and that captures at least a part of the surface of the object under examination and generates image data of the captured surface;

a position measuring system for ascertaining the 3D position data of the instrument;

an evaluation unit, which links 3D position data with the image data in such a way that an image of the instrument is generated that corresponds in position and size to the image data; and

an output unit for displaying the images generated by the evaluation unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises a monitor by means of which images of the instrument generated by the evaluation unit and images of the video camera device are displayed together on a monitor corresponding to their position and size.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output unit comprises a projection unit by means of which images of the instrument corresponding to its position and size generated by the evaluation unit are projected on a projection surface.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the projection surface consists of the surface of the object under examination.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a unit is provided for capturing the surface path of the object under examination and the evaluation unit is configured to adapt the image data to the surface path of the projection surface.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the position measuring system comprises at least one, and in particular more than three, sensor units, which are positioned in or on the instrument.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the sensor units are configured for producing and/or detecting an electromagnetic field and the positions of the sensor units are determined on the basis of the electromagnetic field produced or detected by the position measuring system.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein several sensor units are distributed evenly over a portion of the instrument or positioned in the instrument.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein several sensor units are positioned unevenly over a portion of the instrument, in particular in a higher density in the distal end region of the instrument.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the position measuring system comprises at least one reference marker that is spatially separated from the instrument, and in particular is positioned outside the object under examination, so that said marker can be acquired for referencing, in particular by the data acquisition unit and the position measuring system and/or the unit for capturing the surface path.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein reference markers are positioned on the surface of the object under examination.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein reference markers are positioned extracorporeally at a distance from the object under examination, in particular on a wall of the examination area.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the instrument constitutes a catheter, a rigid or flexible endoscope, an instrument for endoscopic surgery, an endoscopic capsule, or an implant.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition unit and the position measuring system capture their data synchronously and in particular the evaluation and/or output occurs in discontinuous manner.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition unit and the position measuring system capture their data continuously and the evaluation and/or output of the data occurs precisely with respect to time, in particular in real time.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is configured in such a way that extracorporeal positions of the instrument that are jointly present in the image of the video camera device and in the 3D position data of the instrument are used as reference points for generating the image of the instrument that corresponds to its position and size.