Patent ID: 8521252
Filing Date: 2013-08-27
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for displaying a vascular tree comprising blood vessels of a patient under a medical examination, the blood vessels forming a plurality of branching paths having an access point for inserting a surgical instrument connected to a target point to be reached by the surgical instrument traversing the vascular tree via threading the surgical instrument along a planned path through selected ones of the plurality of branching paths of the blood vessels of the vascular tree, comprising: capturing image data about the vascular tree including the access point and the target point with a recording unit and determining with a data processing unit a three dimensional image data set of a section of the vascular tree containing the access point and the target point; spatially displaying the three dimensional image data set as an image of the section of the vascular tree on a display which is coupled to receive the data from the data processing unit, wherein a first highlighting is applied to the access point and the target point and wherein the section of the vascular tree is displayed without a surrounding imposed by the patient to show only the vascular tree and removing an anatomical background of the patient; determining a planned path between the access point and the target point traversing the selected ones of the plurality of branching paths of the blood vessels of the vascular tree in accord with defined criteria or by receiving user input defining the planned path; displaying the planned path between the access point and the target point traversing the blood vessels of vascular tree in the image of the section of the vascular tree with a second highlighting relative to other data of the data set; defining a plurality of points of interest in the image of the section of the vascular tree, wherein the points of interest comprise one or more critical branch points along the planned path traversing the blood vessels of the vascular tree consisting of a narrowing, a bending, or a branching of the blood vessels of the vascular tree connecting the access point to the target point where a risk of confusion exists for traversing the blood vessels of the vascular tree along the planned path via threading the surgical instrument through the blood vessels, wherein a third highlighting is applied to the points of interest in the image to assist in keeping the surgical instrument along the planned path in the blood vessels; superimposing on the image of the vascular tree an indication of a position of the surgical instrument as it traverses the blood vessels of the vascular tree to the target point; wherein the first, second, and third highlighting in the image of the section of the vascular tree is accomplished before the surgical instrument reaches the target point to provide a clear view of the planned path and an overview of critical points to assist in guidance of the surgical instrument as it traverses the blood vessels of the vascular tree to the target point; and signaling deviation of the surgical instrument from the planned path when the surgical instrument strays from the planned path into a wrong branch.