Graphical user interface for a surgical navigation system and method for providing an augmented reality image during operation

Abstract

Surgical navigation system: 3D display system with see-through visor; a tracking system for real-time tracking of: surgeon's head, see-through visor, patient anatomy and surgical instrument to provide current position and orientation data; a source of an operative plan, a patient anatomy data and a virtual surgical instrument model; a surgical navigation image generator to generate a surgical navigation image with a three-dimensional image representing simultaneously a virtual image of the surgical instrument corresponding to the current position and orientation of the surgical instrument and a virtual image of the surgical instrument, the see-through visor, the patient anatomy and the surgical instrument; the 3D display system configured to show the surgical navigation image at the see-through visor, such that an augmented reality image collocated with the patient anatomy in the surgical field underneath the see-through visor is visible to a viewer looking from above the see-through visor towards the surgical field.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surgical navigation system comprising:
 a 3D display system with a see-through visor;   a tracking system comprising means for real-time tracking of: a surgeon's head, the see-through visor, a patient anatomy and a surgical instrument to provide current position and orientation data;   a source of an operative plan, a patient anatomy data and a virtual surgical instrument model;   a surgical navigation image generator configured to generate a surgical navigation image comprising a three-dimensional image representing simultaneously a virtual image of the surgical instrument corresponding to the current position and orientation of the surgical instrument and a virtual image of the surgical instrument indicating the suggested positions and orientation of the surgical instrument according to the operative plan data based on the current relative position and orientation of the surgeon's head, the see-through visor, the patient anatomy and the surgical instrument;   wherein the 3D display system is configured to show the surgical navigation image at the see-through visor, such that an augmented reality image collocated with the patient anatomy in the surgical field underneath the see-through visor is visible to a viewer looking from above the see-through visor towards the surgical field.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional image of the surgical navigation image further comprises at least one of: the patient anatomy data, operative plan data, in accordance to the current position and orientation data provided by the tracking system. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional image of the surgical navigation image further comprises a graphical cue indicating the required change of position and orientation of the surgical instrument to match the suggested position and orientation according to the pre-operative plan data. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the surgical navigation image further comprises a set of orthogonal (axial, sagittal, and coronal) and arbitrary planes of the patient anatomy data. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D display system comprises a 3D projector and a see-through projection screen, wherein the 3D projector is configured to project the surgical navigation image onto the see-through projection screen, which is partially transparent and partially reflective, for showing the surgical navigation image. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D display system comprises a 3D projector, an opaque projection screen and a see-through mirror, wherein the 3D projector is configured to project the surgical navigation image onto the opaque projection screen for showing the surgical navigation image for emission towards the see-through mirror, which is partially transparent and partially reflective. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D display system comprises a 3D projector, a plurality of opaque mirrors, an opaque projection screen and a see-through mirror, wherein the 3D projector is configured to project the surgical navigation image towards the plurality of opaque mirrors for reflecting the surgical navigation image towards the opaque projection screen for showing the surgical navigation image for emission towards the see-through mirror, which is partially transparent and partially reflective. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D display comprises a 3D monitor for showing the surgical navigation image for emission towards the see-through mirror which is partially transparent and partially reflective. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the 3D display comprises a see-through 3D screen, which is partially transparent and partially emissive, for showing the surgical navigation image. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the see-through visor is configured to be positioned, when the system is in use, at a distance (d 1 ) from the surgeon's head which is shorter than the distance (d 2 ) from the surgical field of the patient anatomy. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the surgical navigation image generator is controllable by an input interface comprising at least one of: foot-operable pedals, a microphone, a joystick, an eye-tracker. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the tracking system comprises plurality of arranged fiducial markers, including a head array, a display array, a patient anatomy array, an instrument array; and a fiducial marker tracker configured to determine in real time the positions and orientations of each of the components of the surgical navigation system. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the head array, the display array, the patient anatomy array, the instrument array contains several fiducial markers that are not all coplanar. 
     
     
         14 . A method for providing an augmented reality image during an operation, comprising:
 providing a 3D display system with a see-through visor;   providing a tracking system comprising means for real-time tracking of: a surgeon's head, the 3D see-through visor, a patient anatomy and a surgical instrument to provide current position and orientation data;   providing a source of: an operative plan, a patient anatomy data and a virtual surgical instrument model;   generating, by a surgical navigation image generator, a surgical navigation image comprising:
 a three-dimensional image representing simultaneously a virtual image of the surgical instrument corresponding to the current position and orientation of the surgical instrument and a virtual image of the surgical instrument indicating the suggested positions and orientations of the surgical instruments according to the operative plan based on the current relative position and orientation of the surgeon's head, the see-through visor, the patient anatomy and the surgical instrument; 
   showing the surgical navigation image at the see-through visor, such that an augmented reality image collocated with the patient anatomy in the surgical field underneath the see-through visor is visible to a viewer looking from above the see-through visor towards the surgical field.