Visual navigation system for endoscopic surgery

• US 20080071142A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Gattani, Abhishek, Hameed, Salmaan, Mahadik, Amit
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/009 with bending or curvature detection of the insertion part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/042 characterised by a proximal camera, e.g. a CCD camera
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/273 for the upper alimentary canal, e.g. oesophagoscopes, gastroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• 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 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/367 creating a 3D dataset from 2D images using position information
• 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 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An endoscopic surgical navigation system comprises a data acquisition subsystem, a tracking subsystem, a registration subsystem, a data processing subsystem and a user interface subsystem. The data acquisition subsystem inputs intra-operative scan data from a medical scanning device during an endoscopic procedure. The tracking subsystem captures data representing positions and orientations of a flexible endoscope during the endoscopic procedure. The registration subsystem determines transformation parameters for coregistering the intra-operative scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the endoscope. The data processing subsystem coregisters the intra-operative scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the endoscope based on the transformation parameters and generates real-time image data representing 3D internal views of a body that are coregistered with live video from an endoscopic video camera. The user interface subsystem receives input from a user for controlling the system and provides output to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

during an endoscopic procedure on a body, inputting intra-operative scan data generated during the endoscopic procedure by a medical scanning device, the intra-operative scan data being representative of a region of interest in the body;

capturing data indicative of positions and orientations of a flexible endoscope during the endoscopic procedure;

generating real-time three-dimensional scan images of the region of interest based on the intra-operative scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope;

coregistering the real-time three-dimensional scan images with live video images generated by a video camera coupled to the flexible endoscope; and

causing the real-time three-dimensional scan images and the live video images to be displayed coregistered on a display device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a movement of the flexible endoscope; and

in response to detecting the movement of the flexible endoscope, identifying a particular slice of the scan data corresponding to a current location and orientation of the flexible endoscope, and

causing an image of the slice to be displayed.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

inputting pre-operative scan data generated prior to the endoscopic procedure by a medical scanning device, pre-operative the scan data being representative of the region of interest in the body; and

coregistering the pre-operative scan data with the intra-operative scan data.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the intra-operative scan data comprises at least one of;

CT data, MRI data or ultrasound data.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein capturing data indicative of positions and orientations of a flexible endoscope during the endoscopic procedure comprises:

receiving data from a plurality of sensors on the flexible endoscope.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

transforming the scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope into a common coordinate system prior to said generating real-time image data.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

reformatting images from the scan data to user-specified positions and orientations;

generating surface models of the region of interest from the scan data; and

applying a geometric transform on three-dimensional points within the region of interest.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

mixing graphical models from the anatomical model generation module, image slices of the region of interest, video generated by the video camera, and text, at user-specified positions and orientations, to produce images for display.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

correcting barrel distortion in the live video.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating measurements of physical properties of anatomical features within the region of interest in response to user inputs.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

reformatting images from the scan data to user-specified positions and orientations;

generating surface models of the region of interest from the scan data;

applying a geometric transform on three-dimensional points within the region of interest based on an image, a transform and an interpolation;

inputting pre-operative scan data;

coregistering the pre-operative scan data with the intra-operative scan data;

mixing graphical models from the anatomical model generation module, image slices of the region of interest, video generated by the video camera, and text, at user-specified positions and orientations, to produce images for display;

correcting barrel distortion in the live video; and

generating measurements of physical properties of anatomical features within the region of interest in response to user inputs.

12. An endoscopic surgical navigation system comprising:

a data acquisition subsystem to input intra-operative scan data representative a region of interest of a body provided by a medical scanning device during an endoscopic procedure;

a tracking subsystem to capture data indicative of positions and orientations of a flexible endoscope during the endoscopic procedure;

a registration subsystem to determine transformation parameters for use in coregistering the intra-operative scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope;

a data processing subsystem to coregister the intra-operative scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope based on the transformation parameters and to generate, in real-time, image data representing three-dimensional internal views of the region of interest that are coregistered with live video generated by a video camera coupled to the flexible endoscope; and

a user interface subsystem to receiver input from a user for controlling said endoscopic surgical navigation system and to provide output to the user.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data processing subsystem is to reformat images from the scan data to desired positions and orientations, to generate surface models of the region of interest from the scan data, and to apply a geometric transform on three-dimensional points based on an image, a transform and an interpolator.

14. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data acquisition subsystem further is to input pre-operative scan data, and wherein the data processing subsystem further is to coregister the pre-operative scan data with the intra-operative scan data.

15. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data acquisition subsystem comprises:

an image reslicer to reformat images from the scan data to user-specified positions and orientations;

an anatomical model generation module to generate surface models of the region of interest from the scan data; and

a transform module to apply a geometric transform on three-dimensional points within the region of interest, based on an image, a transform and an interpolator.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the user interface subsystem comprises a merge unit to mix graphical models from the anatomical model generation module, image slices generated by the image reslicer, video generated by the video camera, and text, at user-specified positions and orientations, to produce images for display.

17. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the registration subsystem comprises:

a multi-modal image coregistration module to coregister the intra-operative patient scan data with pre-operative scan data; and

a flexible endoscope registration module operable to transform data acquired by the tracking subsystem into a common co-ordinate space, based on data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope placed on the origin of a co-ordinate system of an intra-operative imaging device.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the data acquisition subsystem further comprises a barrel-distortion correction unit to correct barrel distortion in the live video.

19. A system as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

a measurement subsystem to generate measurements of physical properties of anatomical features within the region of interest in response to user inputs.

20. An endoscopic surgical navigation system comprising:

a data acquisition subsystem to input intra-operative scan data representative a region of interest of a body provided by a medical scanning device during an endoscopic procedure;

a tracking subsystem to capture data indicative of positions and orientations of a flexible endoscope during the endoscopic procedure;

a registration subsystem to determine transformation parameters for use in coregistering the scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope, the registration subsystem including;

a multi-modal image coregistration module to coregister the intra-operative patient scan data with pre-operative scan data, and

an endoscope registration module operable to transform data acquired by the tracking subsystem into a common co-ordinate space, based on data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope placed on the origin of a co-ordinate system of the medical scanning device;

a data processing subsystem to coregister the scan data and the data indicative of positions and orientations of the flexible endoscope based on the transformation parameters and to generate in real-time image data representing three-dimensional internal views of the region of interest that are coregistered with live video generated by a video camera coupled to the flexible endoscope, the data acquisition subsystem including;

an image reslicer to reformat images from the scan data to user-specified positions and orientations,

an anatomical model generation module to generate surface models of the region of interest from the scan data,

a transform module to apply a geometric transform on three-dimensional points within the region of interest, based on an image, a transform and an interpolator, and

a barrel-distortion correction unit to correct barrel distortion in the live video; and

a user interface subsystem to receiver input from a user for controlling said endoscopic surgical navigation system and to provide output to the user, the user interface subsystem including a merge unit to mix graphical models from the anatomical model generation module, image slices generated by the image reslicer, video generated by the video camera, and text, at user-specified positions and orientations, to produce images for display; and

a measurement subsystem to generate measurements of physical properties of anatomical features within the region of interest in response to user inputs.