Laparoscopic ultrasound robotic surgical system

• US 10,603,127 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC), Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. (Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Hasser, Christopher J., Taylor, Russell H., Leven, Joshua, Choti, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Seth, Manav
• Application Number:
  US15/413,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20170128145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/3132 for laparoscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00203 with speech control or speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/365 augmented reality, i.e. correlating a live optical image with another image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4218 characterised by articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/03 Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• 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 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

A LUS robotic surgical system is trainable by a surgeon to automatically move a LUS probe in a desired fashion upon command so that the surgeon does not have to do so manually during a minimally invasive surgical procedure. A sequence of 2D ultrasound image slices captured by the LUS probe according to stored instructions are processable into a 3D ultrasound computer model of an anatomic structure, which may be displayed as a 3D or 2D overlay to a camera view or in a PIP as selected by the surgeon or programmed to assist the surgeon in inspecting an anatomic structure for abnormalities. Virtual fixtures are definable so as to assist the surgeon in accurately guiding a tool to a target on the displayed ultrasound image.

Claims

1. A method for providing robotic assisted laparoscopic ultrasound, comprising:

displaying an ultrasound view of an anatomic structure in a patient as a registered overlay to a camera view of the anatomic structure on a display;

receiving information of a target marked on the ultrasound view;

determining a path for a tool to travel to the target within the patient;

generating a virtual fixture to assist in electronically constraining the tool to travel over the determined path;

determining a distance of the tool from the target; and

changing a color of the target marked on the ultrasound view so as to indicate the distance on the display.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the anatomic structure is cancerous, the target is a lesion marked by a surgeon on the displayed ultrasound view, and the tool is a needle.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining when a tip of the tool reaches a threshold distance from a surface of the anatomic structure; and

automatically displaying a right angle view of the ultrasound image and the tip of the tool, upon determining that the tip of the tool has reached the threshold distance, in a picture-in-picture window on the display.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image is a three-dimensional image generated from a sequence of two-dimensional ultrasound image slices of the anatomic structure.

2. A method for providing robotic assisted laparoscopic ultrasound, comprising:

displaying an ultrasound view of an anatomic structure in a patient as a registered overlay to a camera view of the anatomic structure on a display;

receiving information of a target marked on the ultrasound view;

determining a path for a tool to travel to the target within the patient;

determining when a tip of the tool reaches a threshold distance from a surface of the anatomic structure; and

automatically displaying a right angle view of the ultrasound image and the tip of the tool, upon determining that the tip of the tool has reached the threshold distance, in a picture-in-picture window on the display.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the anatomic structure is cancerous, the target is a lesion marked by a surgeon on the displayed ultrasound view, and the tool is a needle.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining a distance of the tool from the target; and

changing a color of the target marked on the ultrasound view on the display so as to indicate the distance.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

generating a virtual fixture to assist in electronically constraining the tool to travel over the determined path.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasound image is a three-dimensional image generated from a sequence of two-dimensional ultrasound image slices of the anatomic structure.