Patent ID: 11931140
Assignee: SYNAPTIVE MEDICAL INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 16:
17. A method of supporting a medical procedure on a patient by way of a control and processing unit, comprising:
providing the control and processing unit, comprising:
providing a navigation module, providing the navigation module comprising providing a navigation system and configuring the navigation module to control trajectory and visual display of at least one medical instrument, providing the navigation module comprising: providing a power supply, providing a processor control module programmed with navigation control software, and providing a storage device connected to the processor control module, providing the storage device comprising storing, therein, a surgical trajectory path plan defining a surgical path to be followed on an anatomical part undergoing the medical procedure and preoperative imaging data of the anatomical part of the patient undergoing the medical procedure, each at least one medical instrument comprising at least one uniquely identifiable tracking marker associated therewith, and providing the storage device comprising configuring the storage device to store: a virtual representation of the at least one medical instrument with its associated at least one uniquely identifiable tracking marker, the virtual representation of the at least one medical instrument being geometrically accurate with respect to size and shape of the at least one medical instrument, and a virtual representation of at least one tissue structure from the surgical trajectory path plan stored in the storage device;
providing a 3D tracking stereo camera in communication with the navigation system for determining spatial positioning of the at least one medical instrument using the at least one uniquely identifiable tracking marker and associated virtual representation relative to the registered anatomical part, the tracking camera comprising a 3D optical tracking stereo camera;
providing the processor control module comprising programming the processor control module to compare at least one medical instrument, being tracked, with the geometrically accurate virtual representation of the at least one medical instrument stored in the storage device for: identifying the at least one medical instrument in use, adaptively update a section of a preoperative image by using a localized intraoperative image, calculate a course change from an actual surgical path back to the surgical path defined by the surgical trajectory path plan, and match the virtual representation of the at least one tissue structure with an actual view of at least one tissue structure of interest;
providing at least one display for displaying: a superposition of a virtual representation of the surgical path defined by the surgical plan and a virtual representation of the actual surgical path, the preoperative imaging data of the anatomical part undergoing the medical procedure which is registered with the anatomical part, an image of the at least one medical instrument used in the medical procedure, the virtual representation of at least one tissue structure from the surgical trajectory path plan, the matched virtual representation of the at least one tissue structure with the actual view of the at least one tissue structure of interest, the course change from the virtual representation of the actual surgical path back to the virtual representation of the surgical path defined by the surgical trajectory path plan, the preoperative imaging data comprising diffusion tensor imaging data, the diffusion tensor imaging data comprising at least four dimensions of information, and the at least four dimensions of information comprising three spatial dimensions and a time dimension;
providing an imaging device providing the imaging device comprising configuring the imaging device to acquire intraoperative imaging data of a localized region within the anatomical part, the imaging device comprising at least one uniquely identifiable tracking marker associated therewith tracked by the tracking camera; and
the navigation module programmed with instructions to use the intraoperative imaging data of the localized region for updating the preoperative imaging data of the localized region within the anatomical part during the medical procedure based on positional information of the tracked imaging device relative to the anatomical part,
whereby real-time feedback is providable, the real-time feedback comprising at least one spatially correlated color map corresponding to at least one spectral signature from acquired intraoperative information,
wherein the preoperative imaging data are acquired using MRI, wherein the imaging device is an insertable MRI device inserted into the anatomical part, and
wherein the navigation module is programmed to adaptively update a section of the MRI acquired preoperative imaging data using localized intraoperative MRI imaging data acquired using the insertable MRI device; and
operating the control and processing unit.