Systems and Methods for Registration of Multiple Vision Systems

• US 20140051986A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Zhao, Tao, Chopra, Prashant
• Granted Patent: US 10,278,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000094 extracting biological structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/066 Superposing sensor position on an image of the patient, e.g. obtained by ultrasound or x-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30021 Catheter; Guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods

Abstract

A method comprises generating a model of an anatomic region and receiving a true image from an endoscopic image capture probe positioned within the anatomic region. The method further comprises identifying a true fiducial region in the true image and identifying a plurality of virtual tissue structures in the model of the anatomic region. The method further comprises matching one of the plurality of the virtual tissue structures with the true fiducial region and determining a probe pose of the endoscopic image capture probe from the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a true image from an endoscopic image capture probe positioned within an anatomic region;

identifying a true fiducial region in the true image;

matching the true fiducial region with one of a plurality of virtual tissue structures from a model of the anatomic region; and

localizing a tip of the endoscopic image capture probe relative to the model of the anatomic region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein localizing includes determining a position of the tip of the endoscopic image capture probe from the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein localizing includes determining an orientation of the tip of the endoscopic image capture probe from the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising displaying the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures from the model of the anatomic region.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, from a position sensor system, position information indicating a position of the endoscopic image capture probe relative to the anatomic region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein matching the true fiducial region comprises identifying a first subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures located within a subregion of the model, the subregion corresponding to a region of interest about the position of the endoscopic image capture probe relative to the anatomic region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the region of interest is defined by at least one of a sensor tolerance stackup and an expected anatomic motion about the position of the endoscopic image capture probe relative to the anatomic region.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein matching the true fiducial region further comprises:

identifying one or more structural aspects of the true fiducial region; and

identifying a second subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures,

wherein the first subset includes each of the second subset, and

wherein each of the second subset of virtual tissue structures includes the one or more structural aspects of the true fiducial region.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the true fiducial region includes one or more lumens, and the one or more structural aspects includes at least one of lumen location, lumen orientation, lumen dimension, lumen contour, lumen anatomical label, and lumen shape.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein matching the true fiducial region further comprises:

calculating an optimum similarity measure indicating closeness of match to the true fiducial region for each of the second subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures; and

selecting the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures by identifying the one of the second subset exhibiting the optimum similarity measure indicating the closest match to the true fiducial region.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating the similarity measure comprises:

iteratively rendering a plurality of views for each of the second subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures;

calculating plurality of interim similarity measures indicating closeness of match to the true fiducial region for the plurality of views for each of the second subset; and

selecting the optimum similarity measure from the plurality of interim similarity measures for each of second subset.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the model of the anatomic region with the true image based on the localization of the tip of the endoscopic image capture probe.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

removing the endoscopic image capture probe from a catheter body positioned within the anatomic region; and

inserting a tracked interventional instrument through the catheter body to conduct a procedure.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the true fiducial region is an anatomical passageway furcation.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the anatomic region comprises a lung.

16. A medical system comprising:

an image capture probe sized to extend within an anatomic region;

a processor configured for

generating a model of the anatomic region;

receiving a true image from the image capture probe positioned within the anatomic region;

identifying a true fiducial region in the true image;

identifying a plurality of virtual tissue structures in a model of the anatomic region;

matching one of the plurality of the virtual tissue structures with the true tissue structure; and

localizing a tip of the image capture probe relative to the model of the anatomic region.

17. The medical system of claim 16 wherein localizing includes determining a position of the tip of the endoscopic image capture probe from the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures.

18. The medical system of claim 17 wherein localizing includes determining an orientation of the tip of the endoscopic image capture probe from the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures.

19. The medical system of claim 17 wherein the processor is further configured for generating a display of the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures from the model of the anatomic region.

20. The medical system of claim 16 further comprising:

a position sensor system, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving probe position information from the position sensor system and defining a subregion in the model based on the probe position information,

wherein the plurality of virtual tissue structures all reside within the subregion.

21. The medical system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured for

identifying structural aspects of the true fiducial region;

and

identifying a subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures matching the structural aspects of the true fiducial region.

22. The medical system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured for

performing an iterative rendering of each of the subset of the plurality of virtual tissue structures to match the true fiducial region;

and

identifying the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures based on the iterative rendering.

registering the model of the anatomic region to the true image based on the localization of the tip of the image capture probe.

23. The medical system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured for registering the model of the anatomic region to the true image based on the localization of the tip of the image capture probe.

24. The medical system of claim 23, further comprising a display system for displaying a rendering of the matched one of the plurality of virtual tissue structures based on the localization of the tip of the image capture probe.

25. The medical system of claim 16, further comprising:

a flexible catheter sized to receive the image capture probe and

a steering system for steering a distal region of the flexible catheter, wherein the flexible catheter controls a probe pose.

26. The medical system of claim 25, further comprising a control system for maintaining a catheter pose of the flexible catheter when the image capture probe is removed.

27. The medical system of claim 25, further comprising a tracked tool deployed through the flexible catheter, wherein the tracked tool is controlled by reference to a displayed virtual visualization image.