System and method for aligning a tool with an axis to perform a medical procedure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12329461-B2
Application number	US-202017782031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2020
Priority date	Dec 2, 2019
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

A system and method are provided for aligning a tool with a targeted axis in tissue to perform a medical procedure. A medical plan is registered to the location of the tissue using a computer-assisted medical system, where the medical plan include a planned position for the targeted axis based on pre-procedure data. The tool is aligned with the planned position for the targeted axis using a computer- assisted medical system. The computer-assisted medical system includes a hand- held device having a handle and a working portion adjustable relative to the handle so as to orient the tool. A computing system is also provided comprising a tracking system and a control system for registering the medical plan to the location of the tissue, tracking the hand-held device relative to the tissue and the medical plan, and adjusting the working portion of the hand-held device relative to its handle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for aligning a tool with a targeted axis in tissue to perform a medical procedure, the system comprising:
a hand-held device comprising:
a working portion movably connected to a hand-held portion, wherein the working portion is configured to (i) couple with a reference marker, and (ii) couple with a tool;
and
an actuator for moving the working portion relative to the hand-held portion in response to control signals; and
a computing system comprising one or more processors configured to:
determine a location of a first virtual plane, a second virtual plane, and a targeted axis, wherein the targeted axis has a pre-determined location coincident with an intersection axis of the first virtual plane and the second virtual plane;
generate first control signals to maintain alignment of an axis of the reference marker, when coupled to the working portion, coincident with the first virtual plane for inserting the reference marker in the tissue coincident with the first virtual plane; and
generate second control signals to maintain alignment of an axis of the tool, when coupled to the working portion, coincident with the second virtual plane; and wherein the reference marker and the alignment of the tool coincident with the second virtual plane are used to align the tool along the targeted axis.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a medical plan comprising a pre-determined location for the first virtual plane, a pre-determined location for the second virtual plane, and the pre-determined location for the targeted axis.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first control signals maintain alignment of an axis of a second reference marker coincident with the first virtual plane for inserting the second reference marker in the tissue coincident with the first virtual plane, wherein the reference marker and the second reference marker are laterally offset from one another.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising an alignment guide configured to be mounted onto the reference marker and the second reference marker inserted in the tissue and dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the tool and constrain movement of the tool along the first virtual plane.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the tissue is bone and the medical procedure is the formation of a tunnel in a bone, wherein the targeted axis is a central longitudinal axis of the tunnel.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the tool is a third reference marker configured to be inserted coincident with the planned position for the targeted axis.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a hollow drill bit coupled to a second drill, wherein the hollow drill bit slides onto the third reference marker to guide the formation of the tunnel in the bone.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the tool is at least one of a pin, a screw, a reference marker, a drill bit, a reamer, a mill, a cutter, a saw, a probe, a tissue remover, forceps, a needle, a laser, a radio-frequency emitter, an ablation instrument, a water-jet, or a cannula.

9. A method for aligning a tool with a targeted axis in tissue to perform a medical procedure, the method comprising:
determining a location of a first virtual plane, a second virtual plane, and a targeted axis, wherein the targeted axis has a pre-determined location coincident with an intersection axis of the first virtual plane and the second virtual plane;
generating first control signals for a robotic device to maintain alignment of an axis of a first reference marker, when coupled to the robotic device, coincident with the first virtual plane for inserting the first reference marker in the tissue coincident with the first virtual plane; and
generating second control signals for the robotic device to maintain alignment of an axis of a tool, when coupled to the robotic device, coincident with the second virtual plane, wherein the first reference marker and the alignment of the tool coincident with the second virtual plane are used to align the tool along the targeted axis.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising generating third control signals for the robotic device to maintain alignment of an axis of a second reference marker, when coupled to the robotic device, coincident with the first virtual plane for inserting the second reference marker in the tissue coincident with the first virtual plane and laterally offset from the first reference marker.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing an alignment guide configured to be mounted onto the first reference marker and the second reference marker inserted in the tissue and dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the tool and constrain movement of the tool along the first virtual plane while the robotic device maintains alignment of the tool coincident with the second virtual plane.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the robotic device comprises: a working portion movably connected to a hand-held portion, wherein the working portion is configured to (i) couple with the first reference marker, and (ii) couple with the tool; and an actuator for moving the working portion relative to the hand-held portion in response to control signals.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the tool is a third reference marker configured to be inserted coincident with the pre-determined location for the targeted axis.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising a hollow drill bit coupled to a second drill, wherein the hollow drill bit slides onto the third reference marker to guide formation of a tunnel in the tissue.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the tool is at least one of a pin, a screw, a reference marker, a drill bit, a reamer, a mill, a cutter, a saw, a probe, a tissue remover, forceps, a needle, a laser, a radio-frequency emitter, an ablation instrument, a water-jet, or a cannula.

Assignees

• Think Surgical Inc

Inventors

• Kuznik Kyle
• Forstein Micah
• Bonny Daniel

Classifications

• A61B34/70

  Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery · CPC title

• A61B34/30

  Surgical robots · CPC title

• A61B34/20 Primary

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

• A61B2090/3983

  Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery · CPC title

• A61B2090/3945

  Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes · CPC title