Energy application planning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9757201-B2
Application number	US-201214131518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2012
Priority date	Jul 11, 2011
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy application planning apparatus for planning an application of energy to an object ( 3 ) like a tumor. An energy application element representation represents an energy application element ( 5 ) like an ablation needle including an energy application part for applying energy and a sensing part ( 7 ). An arrangement of the energy application element ( 5 ) with respect to the object ( 3 ) is determined depending on the positions of the energy application part and the sensing part ( 7 ) with respect to the energy application element ( 5 ) as defined by the energy application element representation and depending on the object representation. The application of energy can therefore not only be planned such that the application of energy is performed as desired, but also such that the object and/or a surrounding of the object are sensible as desired. In this way, the planning procedure can be improved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An energy application planning apparatus for planning an application of energy to an object, the energy application planning apparatus ( 1 ) comprising:
an object providing unit ( 2 ) for providing an object representation of the object ( 3 ),
an energy application element providing unit ( 4 ) for providing an energy application element representation representing an energy application element ( 5 ), the energy application element representation showing positions, with respect to the object representation, of an energy application part ( 6 ) for applying energy to the object ( 3 ) and of a sensing part ( 7 ) for generating an optical sensing signal being indicative of a property of at least one of the object ( 3 ) and the surrounding of the object ( 3 ),
an arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) for determining an arrangement of the energy application element ( 5 ) with respect to the object ( 3 ) depending on the positions of the energy application part and the sensing part with respect to the energy application element as defined by the energy application element representation and depending on the object representation, wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine the position and the orientation of the energy application element ( 5 ) with respect to the object ( 3 ) as the arrangement.

2. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the energy application planning apparatus ( 1 ) comprises an energy influence assignment providing unit ( 8 ) for providing assignments between expected energy influence zones, which define an expected shape and an expected size of an area of the object being influenced by the application of energy, and wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine the position of the energy application element by determining the position of the energy application part and to determine a further energy application parameter depending on the object representation and the provided assignments.

3. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine the orientation of the energy application element such that a provided safety margin surrounding the object representation is sensible by the sensing part.

4. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine
several positions of the energy application element by determining several positions of the energy application part and by determining several further energy application parameters, which correspond to the several positions of the energy application part, and
several orientations of the energy application element for the several positions of the energy application element,

such that
the object representation is completely covered by the expected energy influence zones defined by the provided assignments, the several positions of the energy application part and the several further energy application parameters, and
a provided safety margin surrounding the object representation is sensible by the sensing part.

5. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 4 , wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine a sequence of the several positions and orientations of the energy application element such that a first one of the expected energy influence zones generated by applying energy to the object in accordance with a determined first position, a determined first orientation, and a determined first energy application parameter, is sensible by the sensing part, while the energy application element is in a following determined second position and in a following determined second orientation.

6. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the object providing unit ( 2 ) is adapted to indicate an impair region within or adjacent to the object, in which the application of energy is expected to be impaired, wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine the orientation of the energy application element such that the impair region is sensible by the sensing part.

7. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the object providing unit ( 2 ) is adapted to indicate a forbidden region within or around the object, in which the energy application element is not allowed to be located, wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to determine the orientation of the energy application element such that the energy application element is not located within the forbidden region.

8. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein the energy planning application apparatus ( 1 ) comprises a property determination unit ( 10 ) for determining a property of at least one of the object and the surrounding of the object based on the generated optical sensing signal.

9. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the energy application planning apparatus ( 1 ) is adapted for planning an ablation procedure and wherein the property determination unit ( 10 ) is adapted to determine whether a sensed part of at least one of the object and of the surrounding of the object has been ablated based on the generated optical sensing signal.

10. The energy application planning apparatus as defined in claim 8 , wherein the arrangement determination unit ( 9 ) is adapted to amend the determined arrangement of the energy application element with respect to the object depending on the object representation and the determined property of at least one of the object and the surrounding of the object.

11. An energy application apparatus for applying energy to an object, the energy application apparatus ( 11 ) comprising:
an energy source ( 16 ) and an energy application element ( 5 ) for applying energy to the object ( 3 ), the energy application element comprising an energy application part ( 6 ) for applying energy to the object and a sensing part ( 7 ) for generating a sensing signal being indicative of a property of at least one of the object and the surrounding of the object,
an energy application planning apparatus ( 1 ) for planning an application of energy as defined in claim 1 .

12. An energy application planning method for planning an application of energy to an object, the energy application planning method comprising:
providing an object representation of the object by an object providing unit ( 2 ),
providing an energy application element representation representing an energy application element, the energy application element representation including an energy application element, the energy application representation showing an energy sensing signal being indicative of a property of at least one of the object and the surrounding of the object by an energy application element providing unit ( 4 ),
determining an arrangement of the energy application element with respect to the object depending on the positions of the energy application part and the sensing part with respect to the energy application element as defined by the energy application element representation and depending on the object representation by an arrangement determination unit ( 9 ), wherein the position and the orientation of the energy application element ( 5 ) with respect to the object ( 3 ) are determined as the arrangement.

13. An energy application planning program product for planning an application of energy to an object, the energy application planning program product compri

Assignees

• Hendriks Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus
• Noordhoek Nicolaas Jan
• Lucassen Gerhardus Wilhelmus
• Mielekamp Pieter Maria
• Nachabė Rami
• Van Der Voort Marjolein
• Bierhoff Waltherus Cornelis Jozef
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Hendriks Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus
• Noordhoek Nicolaas Jan
• Lucassen Gerhardus Wilhelmus
• Mielekamp Pieter Maria
• Nachabė Rami
• Van Der Voort Marjolein
• Bierhoff Waltherus Cornelis Jozef

Classifications

• A61B2018/00577

  Ablation · CPC title

• A61B2034/101

  Computer-aided simulation of surgical operations · CPC title

• A61B34/10 Primary

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

• A61B19/50 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B18/14

  Probes or electrodes therefor · CPC title