SURGICAL APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND METHODS
First Claim
1. A surgical apparatus comprising:
- a base unit;
an arm coupled to the base unit, the arm comprising a first section and a second section which are moveable with respect to each other about a joint, the arm being configured to receive a guide-tube;
a tracking unit coupled to the joint and configured to track movement of the first section of the arm with respect to the second section of the arm; and
a processor configured to;
receive intra-operative image data relating to the guide-tube and the anatomy of a patient from which an initial position and orientation of the guide-tube relative to the anatomy of the patient can be determined, the image data including image data relating to a target location within the patient,receive tracking information from the tracking unit, andtrack the position and orientation of the guide-tube based on the initial position and orientation and the tracking information such that the guide-tube may be aligned with respect to the target location within the patient using the tracked position and orientation of the guide-tube to allow the delivery of a surgical instrument to the target location without using further intra-operative image data to track the location of the guide-tube with respect to the anatomy of the patient.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A surgical apparatus comprising: a base unit; an arm coupled to the base unit, the arm comprising a first section and a second section which are moveable with respect to each other about a joint, the arm being configured to receive a guide-tube; a tracking un it coupled to the joint and configured to track movement of the first section of the arm with respect to the second section of the arm; and a processor configured to: receive intra-operative image data relating to the guide-tube and the anatomy of a patient from which an initial position and orientation of the guide-tube relative to the anatomy of the patient can be determined, the image data including image data relating to a target location within the patient, receive tracking information from the tracking unit, and track the position and orientation of the guide-tube based on the initial position and orientation and the tracking information such that the guide-tube may be aligned with respect to the target location within the patient using the tracked position and orientation of the guide-tube to allow the delivery of a surgical instrument to the target location.
-
Citations
39 Claims
-
1. A surgical apparatus comprising:
-
a base unit; an arm coupled to the base unit, the arm comprising a first section and a second section which are moveable with respect to each other about a joint, the arm being configured to receive a guide-tube; a tracking unit coupled to the joint and configured to track movement of the first section of the arm with respect to the second section of the arm; and a processor configured to; receive intra-operative image data relating to the guide-tube and the anatomy of a patient from which an initial position and orientation of the guide-tube relative to the anatomy of the patient can be determined, the image data including image data relating to a target location within the patient, receive tracking information from the tracking unit, and track the position and orientation of the guide-tube based on the initial position and orientation and the tracking information such that the guide-tube may be aligned with respect to the target location within the patient using the tracked position and orientation of the guide-tube to allow the delivery of a surgical instrument to the target location without using further intra-operative image data to track the location of the guide-tube with respect to the anatomy of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 38)
-
-
3. (canceled)
-
14. A method of operating a surgical apparatus comprising:
-
receiving intra-operative image data relating to a guide-tube and an anatomy of a patient, the guide-tube being received by an arm which is coupled to a base unit of the surgical apparatus, the image data including image data relating to a target location within the patient; determining an initial position and orientation of the guide-tube relative to the anatomy of the patient; receiving tracking information from a tracking unit which is coupled to a joint about which a first and a second section of the arm are moveable with respect to each other; and tracking the position and orientation of the guide-tube based on the initial position and orientation and the tracking information such that the guide-tube may be aligned with respect to the target location within the patient using the tracked position and orientation of the guide-tube to allow the delivery of a surgical instrument to the target location without using further intra-operative image data to track the location of the guide-tube with respect to the anatomy of the patient.
-
-
15-26. -26. (canceled)
-
27. A guide-tube comprising:
-
an elongate tubular main body having a cavity configured to receive a needle or other slender instrument; a plurality of markers disposed along a length of the tubular main body, the markers being opaque to a first imaging signal, such that the position and orientation of the guide-tube in a frame of reference can be substantially unambiguously determined by identifying the location of each of the plurality of markers in the frame of reference using the first imaging signal wherein the elongate tubular main body comprises two sections joined together at respective interface surfaces and one or more of the plurality of markers are arranged in respective recesses in one or more of the interface surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 33, 34)
-
-
28. (canceled)
-
31-32. -32. (canceled)
-
35-37. -37. (canceled)
-
39-45. -45. (canceled)
Specification