Method and system for simulating surgical procedures

• US 9,788,905 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surgical Theater Inc.
• Original Assignee: Surgical Theater LLC
• Inventors: Avisar, Mordechai
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeman, Mary
• Application Number:
  US14/008,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,027 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/104 Modelling the effect of the tool, e.g. the effect of an implanted prosthesis or for predicting the effect of ablation or burring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2021 Shape modification
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A system and method for converting static/still medical images of a particular patient into dynamic and interactive images interacting with medical tools including medical devices by coupling a model of tissue dynamics and tool characteristics to the patient specific imagery for simulating a medical procedure in an accurate and dynamic manner by coupling a model of tissue dynamics to patient specific imagery for simulating cerebral aneurysm clipping surgery.

Claims

1. A modeling system for performing a surgical simulation, comprising:

a database for storing patient tissue image information that are taken from, or derived from, medical images of a particular patient;

said database also for storing standard characteristics of said tissue;

a display;

an image generator including software executing on one or more computers to generate a dynamic 3D image of tissues of the particular patient for display on said display, said generating utilizing said patient image information such that said dynamic 3D image of tissues realistically represents corresponding actual tissues of the particular patient;

a tool interface configured to connect to a real surgical tool adapted for use with the modeling system;

a user tool generator including software executing on the one or more computers to generate a tool model of a user tool for dynamically interacting with said 3D image of tissues via manipulations provided by a user; and

a user interface configured to allow the user to adjust parameters of the tool model, wherein

said tool model is displayed on said display dynamically interacting with said 3D image of tissues according to the adjusted parameters for realistically simulating the medical procedure.

2. The modeling system of claim 1, wherein the user interface to adjust parameters allows modifying a structure of said user tool.

3. The modeling system of claim 2, wherein said modifying a structure of said user tool includes changing a shape of said user tool.

4. The modeling system of claim 2, further comprising an interface for outputting specifications for said user tool as modified that are generated by the system.

5. The modeling system of claim 4, wherein said specifications are provided in a format for allowing a manufacture of tools to manufacture an actual user tool designed for use in performing an actual surgery on the patient.

6. The modeling system of claim 1, wherein said medical images of the particular patient include an image of an aneurysm, and wherein said dynamic 3D image includes an image of the aneurysm, and further wherein said user tool includes an aneurysm clip applier for applying an aneurysm clip model for dynamically interacting with the image of tissues.

7. The modeling system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory for storing a library of a plurality of models of different implants to the user; and

a user interface for selecting one implant model from said plurality of models for use with said user tool model for dynamically interacting with said 3D image of tissues.

8. The modeling system of claim 1, wherein said dynamically interacting is provided by executing algorithms adapted for providing segmentation and soft tissue simulation and collision detection for calculating orientation interaction and detecting interaction between the user tool and the 3D image of tissues.

9. The modeling system of claim 1, wherein said system is adapted for displaying an image of at least a portion of the head of the patient on said display, said image of at least a portion of the head being derived from said medical images of the particular patient.

10. The modeling system of claim 1, wherein the user interface to adjust modeling parameters also allows the user to adjust the mechanical properties of the 3D image of tissues.

11. A modeling system for performing a simulation of an aneurysm clipping surgery, comprising:

a database for storing patient tissue image information that are taken from, or derived from, medical images of a particular patient, said image information including an aneurysm;

said database also for storing standard characteristics of said tissue;

a display;

an image generator including software executing on one or more computers to generate a dynamic 3D image of tissues of the particular patient for display on said display, said generating utilizing said patient image information such that said dynamic 3D image of tissues realistically represents corresponding actual tissues of the particular patient and includes at least one blood vessel showing an image of the aneurysm in 3D;

a tool interface configured to connect to a real aneurysm clip applier adapted for use with the modeling system;

a user tool generator including software executing on one or more computers to generate a tool model of an aneurysm clip applier for dynamically interacting with said image of the aneurysm via manipulations of the real aneurysm clip applier by a user; and

a user interface configured to allow the user to adjust modeling parameters of the aneurysm clip model, wherein

said aneurysm clip model is displayed on said display dynamically interacting with said 3D image of the aneurysm according to the adjusted modeling parameters for realistically simulating the aneurysm clipping surgery.

12. The modeling system of claim 11, wherein the user interface to adjust modeling parameters of the aneurysm clip model is for modifying a dimension or orientation of said aneurysm clip model.

13. The modeling system of claim 12, wherein said modifying a structure of said aneurysm clip model includes changing a shape of said aneurysm clip model.

14. The modeling system of claim 11, further comprising an interface for outputting specifications for an actual aneurysm clip based on said aneurysm clip model as modified, said specifications being generated by the system.

15. The modeling system of claim 14, wherein said specifications are provided in a format for allowing a manufacture of aneurysm clips to manufacture the actual aneurysm clip for use in performing an actual aneurysm clipping surgery on the patient.

16. The modeling system of claim 11, further comprising:

a memory for storing a library of a plurality of models of different aneurysm clips to the user; and

a user interface for selecting one aneurysm clip model from said plurality of models for use as said aneurysm clip model for dynamically interacting with said image of the aneurysm.

17. The modeling system of claim 11, wherein said dynamically interacting is provided by executing algorithms adapted for providing segmentation and soft tissue simulation and collision detection for calculating orientation interaction and detecting interaction between the model of the aneurysm clip and the aneurysm image.

18. The modeling system of claim 11, wherein said system is adapted for displaying an image of at least a portion of the head of the patient, said image of at least a portion of the head being derived from said medical images of the particular patient.

19. The modeling system of claim 11, wherein the user interface to adjust modeling parameters is also for the user to adjust the mechanical properties of the image of the aneurysm.

20. A modeling system for performing a simulation of an aneurysm clipping surgery, comprising:

a database for storing patient tissue image information that are taken from, or derived from, medical images of a particular patient, said image information including an aneurysm;

said database also for storing standard characteristics of said tissue;

a display;

an image generator including software executing on one or more computers to generate a dynamic 3D image of tissues of the particular patient for display on said display, said generating utilizing said patient image information such that said dynamic 3D image of tissues realistically represents corresponding actual tissues of the particular patient and includes at least one blood vessel showing an image of the aneurysm in 3D;

a memory for storing a library of a plurality of models of different aneurysm clips to a user;

a user interface configured to have the user select one aneurysm clip model from said plurality of models for use as said aneurysm clip model for dynamically interacting with said image of the aneurysm;

a tool interface configured to connect to a real aneurysm clip applier adapted for use with the modeling system;

an interface configured to allow the user to adjust the mechanical properties of the image of the aneurysm;

a user tool generator including software executing on one or more computers to generate a model of an aneurysm clip applier;

said user tool generator also including software executing on one or more computers to generate the selected aneurysm clip model shown dynamically interacting with said model of the aneurysm clip applier applying the model of the aneurysm clip to the image of the aneurysm via manipulations of the real aneurysm clip applier by the user; and

an interface configured to allow the user to adjust mechanical properties of the model of the aneurysm clip and/or the image of the aneurysm, wherein

said aneurysm clip model is displayed on said display dynamically interacting with said 3D image of the aneurysm based on the mechanical properties as adjusted by the user for realistically simulating the aneurysm clipping surgery.

21. A modeling system for performing a surgical simulation, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

a tool interface configured to connect to a real surgical tool adapted for use with the modeling system;

a user interface configured to allow the user to adjust parameters of the tool model; and

program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, said program instructions comprising;

first program instructions to generate a dynamic 3D image of tissues of the particular patient for display on said display, said generating utilizing said patient image information such that said dynamic 3D image of tissues realistically represents corresponding actual tissues of the particular patient; and

second program instructions to generate a tool model of a user tool for dynamically interacting with said 3D image of tissues via manipulations provided by a user to the real surgical tool, wherein

said tool model is displayed on said display dynamically interacting with said 3D image of tissues according to the adjusted parameters for realistically simulating the medical procedure.