Apparatus and method for telesurgery

• US 5,791,908 A
• Filed: 07/11/1996
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert G. Gillio M.D
• Original Assignee: Robert G. Gillio M.D
• Inventors: Gillio, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US08/678,282
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 434/262, 434/263, 434/267, 434/270, 434/271, 434/272, 434/274, 434/275
• US Class Current: 434/262
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/742 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/285 for injections, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, sigmoidscopy, insertion of contraceptive devices or enemas
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/14 with provision for individual teacher-student communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 600/921 Manipulating image characteristics

Abstract

A virtual surgery system or virtual testing system provides a simulation or test based on image data. A simulator combined with a real exam requires simulation tasks by a test taker. Additionally, a surgical procedure may be simulated using image data of a patient in devices simulating the physical instruments a surgeon uses in performing the actual procedure, for example. The user input device, such as a mouse, three dimensional mouse, joystick, seven dimensional joystick, full size simulator, etc., can be used in a virtual simulation to move through the image data while the user looks at the data and interaction of the input device with the image data on a display screen. Force feedback can be provided based on physical constraint models (of the anatomy, for example), or based on edge and collision detection between the virtual scope or virtual tool used by the operator and walls or edges of the image data in the image space. The virtual simulator may be used as a teaching, training, testing, demonstration, or remote telesurgery device, for example.

Claims

1. A telesurgery device, comprising:

a user input device, wherein said user input device includes a surgical instrument simulator and a housing wherein said surgical instrument simulator physically simulates an actual surgical instrument and said housing includes a virtual orifice, said surgical instrument simulator being partially received within said housing through said virtual orifice;

a memory storing non-real time data associated with a patient;

means for simulating a surgical procedure, wherein said means for simulating a surgical procedure is located remote from the patient and wherein said means for simulating a surgical procedure simulates a surgical procedure by utilizing data received from said user input device and said non-real time data associated with the patient stored in said memory;

a robot having a surgical tool for performing an actual surgical procedure on the patient; and

a transmission device connecting said means for simulating a surgical procedure to said robot, said robot performing an actual surgical procedure on the patient in response to the simulated surgical procedure.

2. The telesurgery device according to claim 1 wherein said means for simulating a surgical procedure transmits data for simulating a surgical procedure directly to said user input device.

3. The telesurgery device according to claim 2 wherein said data for simulating a surgical procedure transmitted to said user input device is force feedback.

4. The telesurgery device according to claim 1 wherein said virtual orifice is connected to said means for simulating a surgical procedure and wherein data for simulating a surgical procedure is transmitted bi-directionally between said virtual orifice and said means for simulating a surgical procedure.

5. The telesurgery device according to claim 1 wherein said non-real time data associated with a patient is image data of the anatomy of the patient.

6. The telesurgery device according to claim 1 wherein said non-real time data associated with a patient is historical medical information of the patient.

14. The telesurgery device according to claim 1 wherein said means for simulating a surgical procedure simulates a surgical procedure by utilizing real time data received from the patient merged with said non-real time data associated with the patient.

7. A telesurgery device, comprising;

a user input device, said user input device including a surgical instrument simulator and a housing having a virtual orifice wherein said surgical instrument simulator is partially received within said housing through said virtual orifice;

a computer for simulating a surgical procedure, said computer located remote from an actual patient and having memory storing non-real time image data of the actual patient wherein said computer receives data for simulating a surgical procedure from said surgical instrument simulator, said housing, and said virtual orifice and wherein said computer directly transmits data for simulating a surgical procedure to said surgical instrument simulator, said housing, and said virtual orifice;

said computer simulating a surgical procedure by utilizing data received from and transmitted to said user input device and said non-real time image data associated with the patient stored in said memory;

a robot having a surgical tool for performing an actual surgical procedure on the patient; and

a transmission device connecting said computer to said robot, said robot performing an actual surgical procedure on the patient in response to the simulated surgical procedure.

8. The telesurgery device according to claim 7 wherein said stored non-real time image data of an actual patient is data obtained from a computerized axial tomography scan.

9. The telesurgery device according to claim 7 wherein said stored non-real time image data of an actual patient is data obtained from a magnetic resonance imager.

15. The telesurgery device according to claim 7 wherein said computer simulates a surgical procedure by utilizing real time image data received from the patient merged with said non-real time image data associated with the patient.

17. The telesurgery device according to claim 7 wherein said computer is a personal computer and wherein said non-real time image data of the actual patient is acquired from a super computer and downloaded from the super computer to said personal computer.

10. A method for performing a telesurgery operation comprising the steps of:

storing non-real time data of an actual patient in memory of a computer;

performing a simulated surgical procedure by utilizing said stored non-real time data of the actual patient and a user input device wherein said user input device includes a surgical instrument simulator and a housing, wherein said surgical instrument simulator physically simulates an actual surgical instrument and said housing includes a virtual orifice and wherein said surgical instrument simulator is partially received within said housing through said virtual orifice;

transmitting the movements of said user input device to a location remote from the location where the simulated surgical procedure is performed;

receiving the movements of said user input device at a location remote from the location where the simulated surgical procedure is performed;

controlling the movements of a robot by said received movements of said user input device; and

performing an actual surgical procedure by said robot, said actual surgical procedure performed by said robot in response to said movements of said user input device.

11. The method for performing a telesurgery operation according to claim 10 further comprising the step of receiving real time data from the patient and wherein said step of performing a simulated surgical procedure utilizes said real time data received from the patient.

12. The method for performing a telesurgery operation according to claim 10 wherein said virtual orifice is connected to a computer for simulating a surgical procedure and wherein said virtual orifice transmits data to said computer and receives data from said computer.

13. The method for performing a telesurgery operation according to claim 11 wherein said real time data received from the patient is merged with said stored non-real time data of the actual patient and wherein said step of performing a simulated surgical procedure utilizes said merged data.

16. The method for performing a telesurgery operation according to claim 10 wherein said computer is a personal computer and wherein said non-real time data of the actual patient is acquired from a super computer and downloaded from the super computer to said personal computer.

18. The method for performing a telesurgery operation according to claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting said stored non-real time data of the actual patient to a surgeon at a second remote location, said second remote location being remote from the location where the simulated surgical procedure is performed and remote from the location where the actual surgical procedure is performed;

receiving said stored non-real time data of the actual patient at said second remote location;

analyzing said stored non-real time data at said second remote location;

transmitting data representative of said analysis of said stored non-real time data to said location where the simulated procedure is performed; and

receiving said data representative of said analysis of said stored non-real time data at said location where the simulated procedure is performed;

wherein said step of performing a simulated surgical procedure is performed by utilizing said stored non-real time data of the actual patient, said user input device and said data received from said second remote location.