Patent ID: 6443960
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An apparatus for assisting percutaneous light beam guided surgical activity into a human or animal body based on calculated craniocaudal and transverse related insertion angles for an injection instrument, such as a syringe needle or biopsy means, relative to a target inside said body, said apparatus having means for providing at least a laser beam from a laser device in a laser unit for assisting guided instrument injection into said body, said laser unit having a housing being positionable along a laser unit supporting means and lockable thereto, said laser unit having means for adjusting the direction of said laser beam relative to said body based on said calculated insertion angles, wherein said apparatus further comprises within said laser unit housing:first attachment means on said laser unit housing for rotatably supporting a first rotation member of said laser unit; first rotation means attached to said first attachment means for rotating said first rotation member relative to said first attachment means about a first rotation axis; second attachment means attached to said first rotation member for rotatably supporting a second rotation member, said second rotation member having a second rotation axis at right angles to the first rotation axis; second rotation means mounted on said first rotation member for rotating said second rotation member relative to said second attachment means; first and second inclinometer supporting means mounted at right angles to each other and attached to a surface of said second rotation member at right angles thereto; said laser unit having said laser device attached to said second rotation member in such a way that the laser beam is along an axis intersecting an intersection point between said first and second rotation axis and at right angles thereto; first inclinometer installed on said first inclinometer supporting means and second inclinometer installed on said second inclinometer supporting means, said inclinometer providing signal values as a function of two- or three-dimensional orientation directions of said laser unit housing relative to direction of gravitation; first and second encoding means cooperative with said first and second rotation means, respectively for feedback of rotary position information thereof; and comparing means for comparing set calculated instrument insertion angle values, provided from an input device, with encoder signal values derived from said feedback information and said inclinometer signal values, said comparing means inhibiting an operation of said first and second rotation means when said encoder signal values and said inclinometer signal values reach threshold values, respectively related to said set insertion angle values and direction of gravitation.