Techniques for patient-specific morphing of virtual boundaries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12059211-B2
Application number	US-202218073715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2022
Priority date	Dec 13, 2018
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

Surgical systems, computer-implemented methods, and software programs for producing a patient-specific virtual boundary configured to constrain movement and/or operation of a surgical tool in response to the surgical tool interacting with the patient-specific virtual boundary. The implementations include obtaining a generic virtual boundary including a generic surface with a generic edge, and positioning the generic virtual boundary relative to a virtual anatomical model such that the generic surface intersects the virtual anatomical model. The implementations include computing an intersection of the generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model, and morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce a customized surface with a patient-specific edge. The implementations include generating a customized face extending from, and along, the patient-specific edge, and producing the patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the customized surface and the customized face.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented surgical planning method, comprising:
obtaining a generic virtual boundary comprising a generic surface with a generic edge;
positioning the generic virtual boundary relative to a virtual anatomical model such that the generic surface intersects the virtual anatomical model;
computing an intersection of the generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce a customized surface with a patient-specific edge;
generating a customized face extending from, and along, the patient-specific edge;
producing a patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the customized surface and the customized face; and
configuring the patient-specific virtual boundary for providing a constraint on movement and/or operation of a surgical tool in response to the surgical tool interacting with the patient-specific virtual boundary.

2. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , wherein the generic surface is further defined as a first generic surface and the generic edge is further defined as a first generic edge, the method comprising:
obtaining the generic virtual boundary comprising the first generic surface with the first generic edge, and a second generic surface with a second generic edge.

3. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 2 , comprising:
positioning the generic virtual boundary relative to the virtual anatomical model such that the first generic surface intersects the virtual anatomical model;
computing the intersection of the first generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define the cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morphing the first generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce the customized surface with the patient-specific edge;
maintaining a geometry of the second generic surface and the second generic edge;
generating the customized face extending along the patient-specific edge and extending between the patient-specific edge and the second generic edge; and
producing the patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the customized surface, the second generic surface, and the customized face.

4. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 2 , comprising:
positioning the generic virtual boundary relative to the virtual anatomical model such that both the first generic surface and the second generic surface intersect the virtual anatomical model;
computing the intersection of the first generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a first cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morphing the first generic edge to the first cross-sectional contour to produce a first customized surface with a first patient-specific edge;
computing the intersection of the second generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a second cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morphing the second generic edge to the second cross-sectional contour to produce a second customized surface with a second patient-specific edge;
generating the customized face extending between, and along, the first patient-specific edge and the second patient-specific edge; and
producing the patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the first customized surface, the second customized surface, and the customized face.

5. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 2 , comprising:
obtaining the generic virtual boundary with both the first generic surface and the second generic surface being planar and having the first generic surface being spaced apart from, and being parallel to, the second generic surface.

6. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining the generic virtual boundary having a geometry derived from a virtual implant model.

7. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , wherein morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour comprises:
morphing the generic edge to be coincident to the cross-sectional contour to produce the patient-specific edge.

8. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , wherein morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour comprises:
morphing the generic edge to a contour being similar to the cross-sectional contour and the contour being spaced apart from the cross-sectional contour by an offset distance, and wherein the contour corresponds to the patient-specific edge.

9. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 8 , wherein the offset distance is derived from a geometric feature of the surgical tool.

10. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , comprising:
generating the customized face to extend perpendicularly relative to the customized surface.

11. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , comprising generating the customized face by:
producing ruled surfaces along the patient-specific edge; and
merging the ruled surfaces.

12. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , wherein producing the patient-specific virtual boundary occurs automatically and intra-operatively.

13. The computer-implemented surgical planning method of claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining a pre-operative plan including the generic virtual boundary having a geometry derived from a virtual implant model, and having the generic virtual boundary positioned at a first location relative to the virtual anatomical model;
intra-operatively receiving an input from a user to update the pre-operative plan by positioning the generic virtual boundary to an updated location relative to the virtual anatomical model; and
in response to intra-operatively receiving the input, and while the generic virtual boundary is positioned at the updated location relative to the virtual anatomical model, automatically and intra-operatively performing the following:
computing the intersection of the generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define the cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce the customized surface with the patient-specific edge;
generating the customized face extending from, and along, the patient-specific edge; and
producing the patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the customized surface and the customized face.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, are configured to:
obtain a generic virtual boundary comprising a generic surface with a generic edge;
position the generic virtual boundary relative to a virtual anatomical model such that the generic surface intersects the virtual anatomical model;
compute an intersection of the generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model;
morph the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce a customized surface with a patient-specific edge;
generate a customized face that extends from, and along, the patient-specific edge;
produce a patient-specific virtual boundary by merger of the customized surface and the customized face; and
configure the patient-specific virtual boundary to provide a constraint on movement and/or operation of a surgical tool responsive to interaction between the surgical tool and the patient-specific virtual boundary.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of clai

Assignees

• Mako Surgical Corp

Inventors

• Becker Hans-Ulrich
• Roessler Patrick
• Moctezuma De La Barrera José Luis

Classifications

• A61B2090/036

  abutting on tissue or skin · CPC title

• A61B90/03

  Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety · CPC title

• A61B34/20

  Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis · CPC title

• A61B34/10 Primary

  Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations · CPC title

• G06T2210/44

  Morphing · CPC title