Steerable flexible needle with embedded shape sensing

• US 9,636,040 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Duindam, Vincent, Prisco, Giuseppe Maria, Larkin, David Q., DiMaio, Simon P., Panescu, Dorin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bouchelle, Laura
• Application Number:
  US13/751,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3209 Incision instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3468 for implanting or removing devices, e.g. prostheses, implants, seeds, wires devices for implanting seeds A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/045 Needles pointed biopsy devices with vacuum aspiration A61B10/0283
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00323 Cables or rods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00331 with preformed bends
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00991 Telescopic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2059 Mechanical position encoders
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2061 using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings
• 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 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe

Abstract

A surgical system includes a flexible steerable needle and a shape sensor for measuring the shape of the needle. The surgical system can be manual (e.g., laparoscopic), robotic, or any combination of the two. By directly measuring the shape of the needle, complex and potentially inaccurate modeling of the needle to determine trajectory and insertion depth can be avoided in favor of much more robust direct measurement and modeling of needle shape and/or pose.

Claims

1. A flexible needle comprising:

a flexible elongate needle body with a channel and a needle lumen extending therein, the needle lumen defined by an interior surface of a wall of the flexible elongate needle body, the channel extending within the wall, the flexible elongate needle body including a distal tip portion, wherein the distal tip portion of the flexible elongate needle body is configured to pierce or puncture target tissue, wherein the channel comprises a groove;

a shape sensor coupled to the flexible elongate needle body, wherein the shape sensor extends into the distal tip portion of the flexible elongate needle body and wherein the shape sensor is at least partially positioned within the groove; and

a connector adapted for connecting the shape sensor to a processor for determining the shape of the flexible elongate needle body based on data from the shape sensor.

2. The flexible needle of claim 1 wherein the shape sensor comprises at least one of an optical fiber, a fiber Bragg grating, a nitinol wire, and a piezoresistive element.

3. The flexible needle of claim 1 wherein the shape sensor is attached to the wall.

4. The flexible needle of claim 1, wherein the needle lumen has an opening in the distal tip portion, the shape sensor extending beyond a portion of the opening.

5. The flexible needle of claim 1, wherein the groove comprises one or more positioning features mated with the shape sensor and wherein the one or more positioning features prevents movement of the shape sensor along the groove.

6. The flexible needle of claim 1, wherein the distal tip portion is not moveable relative to the flexible elongate needle body.

7. The flexible needle of claim 1, wherein the flexible elongate needle body includes a plurality of concentric curved segments, wherein each of the plurality of concentric curved segments is independently rotatable and extendible and wherein a most distal segment of the plurality of concentric curved segments includes the distal tip portion configured to pierce or puncture target tissue.

8. The flexible needle of claim 1 further comprising at least one control cable, wherein flexion of the flexible elongate needle body is controlled by the control cable.

9. The flexible needle of claim 1 wherein the distal tip portion comprises one of a bevel tip, a curved tip, and a solid tip that terminates at a point configured to pierce or puncture target tissue.

10. The flexible needle of claim 1, further comprising a second shape sensor, at least a portion of the second shape sensor being substantially parallel to at least a portion of the shape sensor, wherein the connector is further adapted for connecting the second shape sensor to the processor for determining the shape of the flexible needle based on data from the shape sensor and the second shape sensor.

11. The flexible needle of claim 1, wherein the distal tip portion forms a solid needle tip and wherein the flexible needle further comprises a position sensor disposed within the solid needle tip, wherein the connector is further adapted for connecting the position sensor to the processor for determining a position of a section of the flexible needle based on data from the position sensor.

12. A flexible needle comprising:

a flexible elongate needle body with a needle lumen extending therein, the needle lumen defined by an interior surface of a wall of the flexible elongate needle body, the flexible elongate needle body including a distal tip portion, wherein the distal tip portion of the flexible elongate needle body is configured to pierce or puncture target tissue, the flexible elongate needle body further including a second lumen defined between the interior surface of the wall and an exterior surface of the wall;

a shape sensor coupled to the flexible elongate needle body, wherein the shape sensor extends into the distal tip portion of the flexible elongate needle body, wherein the shape sensor is positioned at least partially within the second lumen; and

a connector adapted for connecting the shape sensor to a processor for determining the shape of the flexible elongate needle body based on data from the shape sensor.

13. The flexible needle of claim 12 wherein the second lumen comprises a cylindrical interior lumen extending within the wall, wherein the shape sensor is removably insertable into the cylindrical interior lumen.

14. A surgical system comprising:

a flexible needle including;

a flexible elongate needle body including a needle lumen extending therein, wherein the flexible elongate needle body includes a distal region configured to pierce or puncture target tissue and wherein the needle lumen terminates in an opening in the distal region, and wherein the flexible elongate needle body comprises a wall defining the needle lumen, the wall comprising a groove,

a shape sensor extending along a length of the flexible elongate needle body and extending beyond a portion of the opening, wherein the shape sensor is attached to the wall and at least partially positioned within the groove, and

a connector adapted for connecting the shape sensor to a processor; and

an actuator for manipulating the flexible needle.

15. The surgical system of claim 14 further including the processor for determining a shape of the flexible needle based on data from the shape sensor.

16. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the shape sensor comprises at least one of an optical fiber having a fiber Bragg grating, a nitinol wire, and a piezoresistive element.

17. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible elongate needle body comprises a wall defining an interior lumen and wherein the shape sensor is removably insertable into the interior lumen.

18. The surgical system of claim 17, wherein the shape sensor comprises a stylet sized to fit within the interior lumen.

19. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the shape sensor is attached to an external surface of the wall.

20. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the shape sensor is attached to an internal surface of the wall.

21. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the groove comprises one or more positioning features mated with the shape sensor, wherein the one or more positioning features prevents movement of the shape sensor along the groove.

22. The surgical system of claim 21, wherein the one or more positioning features comprises at least one of a slot, a ridge, and a threaded section.

23. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible elongate needle body comprises a wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface defining the needle lumen, wherein a second lumen is defined between the interior surface and the exterior surface, and wherein the shape sensor is positioned at least partially within the second lumen.

24. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle comprises a plurality of concentric curved segments, wherein each of the plurality of concentric curved segments is independently rotatable and extendible.

25. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle comprises at least one control cable coupled to the actuator, and wherein flexion of the flexible needle is controlled by the control cable.

26. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein a distal tip of the flexible needle comprises a bevel tip.

27. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle comprises a solid needle tip.

28. The surgical system of claim 14, further comprising a second shape sensor attached to the flexible elongate needle body, at least a portion of the second shape sensor being substantially parallel to at least a portion of the shape sensor, wherein the connector is further adapted for connecting the second shape sensor to the processor for determining the shape of the flexible needle based on data from the shape sensor and the second shape sensor.

29. The surgical system of claim 28 wherein the each of the shape sensor and the second shape sensor are attached to different concentric curved segments of the flexible needle.

30. The surgical system of claim 14, further comprising a position sensor attached to a section of the flexible elongate needle body, the processor determining a position of the section based on data from the position sensor.

31. The surgical system of claim 30, wherein the position sensor is attached to a distal tip of the elongate needle body.

32. The surgical system of claim 31, further comprising a manual controller allowing direct user control over the actuator.

33. The surgical system of claim 14, further comprising a robotic surgical platform coupled to the actuator.

34. The surgical system of claim 14 wherein the flexible needle is a transcutaneous biopsy needle.

35. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle is an endoscopic biopsy needle.

36. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle is adapted to deliver a tissue ablation device.

37. The surgical system of claim 14, wherein the flexible needle is adapted to deliver radioactive seeds.