Interactive computer-assisted surgical system and method thereof

• US 6,533,737 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ORTHOsoft ULC. (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Orthosoft Inc. (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brosseau, Éric, Hamel, Geneviève, Amiot, Louis-Philipe, Boivin, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): SZMAL, BRIAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US09/641,878
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 623/11, 623/16, 600/587, 600/545
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2068 using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/256 having a database of accessory information, e.g. including context sensitive help or scientific articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• 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 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A computer-assisted surgical system and method are described herein. The computer-assisted surgical system comprises a computer including three-dimensional models of anatomical structures and a user interface including a position sensing system to register in real-time the relative positions of the anatomical structures of interest and of a surgical tool. Interactions between the tool and the anatomical structure are displayed on a monitor using the three-dimensional models. Multi-view display, transparency display and use of cutting planes allow the surgeon to visualize the interaction between the tool and the anatomical structures any time during the surgical procedure. The system can also predict the constraint on anatomical structures before surgery.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted surgical system to assist in the installation of an implant on at least one anatomical structure, said system comprising:

a tool to identify a possible position for the implant on the at least one anatomical structure;

a computer including models of each of the at least one anatomical structure and of the implant;

a position sensing system connected to said computer;

said position sensing system being configured to register said possible position for the implant with respect to at least one position of each of the at least one anatomical structure and to transfer said positions to said computer; and

whereby, in operation, said computer simulates constraints for each of said at least one position of each of the at least one anatomical structure;

wherein an appropriate position of the implant is one of said at least one position where said simulated constraint lies in a predeterminate acceptable range.

2. A computer-assisted surgical system as recited in claim 1, wherein said tool is selected from the group consisting of an awl and a surgical screwdriver.

3. A computer-assisted surgical system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a storing device, connected to said computer;

said storing device being configured to store at least one of said model of the at least one anatomical structure and of said surgical tool.

4. An interactive surgical system as recited in claim 3, wherein said storing device is taken from the group consisting of a disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a hard disk drive and a computer memory.

5. An interactive surgical system as recited in claim 3, wherein said storing device is remotely connected to the computer via a computer network.

6. An interactive surgical system as recited in claim 1, wherein said position sensing system includes:

at least one magnetic field emitter secured to the at least one anatomical structure;

a magnetic field emitter secured to said tool; and

a magnetic field sensor to capture and to transfer to said computer the signal of said field emitters of said tool and of the at least one anatomical structure;

wherein said computer uses said signals to determine the position of said anatomical structure and the position of said tool.

7. An interactive surgical system as recited in claim 1, wherein said position sensing system includes:

at least one reference assembly secured to the at least one anatomical structure;

a reference assembly secured to said tool; and

a camera to capture and to transfer to said computer the image of s aid reference assemblies on said tool and on the at least one anatomical structure;

said computer using said image to determine the position of said anatomical structure and the position of said tool.

8. An interactive surgical system as recited in claim 1, wherein said output device is selected from the group consisting of a display monitor and three-dimensional display goggles.

9. A method of determining the appropriate position of a surgical implant on at least one anatomical structure, said method comprising:

identifying a possible position for the implant on the at least one anatomical structure;

registering said possible position for the implant and the position of each of the at least one anatomical structure;

creating a computer models of each of the at least one anatomical structure with the implant;

placing the at least one anatomical structure in at least one position;

registering said at least one position of the anatomical structure; and

using said at least one registered position to simulate constraints on at least one of the at least one anatomical structure and said implant;

wherein the appropriate position is one of said at least one position where the simulated constraint lies in a predeterminate acceptable range.

10. A method of determining the appropriate position of a surgical implant as recited in claim 9, further comprising displaying on an output device said computer models of each of the at least one anatomical structure with the implant.