US 12,478,431 B2
Providing surgical assistance via automatic tracking and visual feedback during surgery
Zachary S Leonard, Raleigh, NC (US); and Kevin Andrew Hufford, Cary, NC (US)
Assigned to Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed by Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/368,753.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/048,181, filed on Jul. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0000559 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 17/04 (2006.01); A61B 34/00 (2016.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 34/10 (2016.02) [A61B 17/0469 (2013.01); A61B 34/25 (2016.02); A61B 2034/104 (2016.02); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02); A61B 2034/107 (2016.02); A61B 2034/2065 (2016.02); A61B 2034/254 (2016.02); A61B 2090/061 (2016.02)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical treatment method comprising the steps of
positioning a suturing instrument at a treatment site in a body cavity, wherein the suture instrument has a proximal part with a first longitudinal axis and a distal part with a second longitudinal axis, jaws on the distal part, and a suture needle having a suture thereon grasped by the jaws, the suture needle having a needle tip;
moving the suturing instrument to an articulated position such that the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis are not axially aligned;
capturing a digital image of the treatment site such that the digital image includes the distal part of the suturing instrument in the articulated position and the suture needle;
displaying the digital image on an image display;
performing computer vision analysis of the digital image, and based on the computer vision analysis, recognizing the suture needle and the distal part of the suturing instrument in the digital image;
based on the computer vision analysis, determining (i) a position and orientation of the second longitudinal axis, and (ii) an orientation of the suture needle in the jaws;
displaying an axis overlay on the digital image displayed on the image display, the axis overlay representing the position and orientation of the second longitudinal axis;
based on the position and orientation of the second longitudinal axis and the orientation of the suture needle in the jaws, determining a pathway along which the needle tip will travel if the distal part of the suturing instrument is axially rotated about the second longitudinal axis;
displaying a pathway overlay on the digital image displayed on the image display, the pathway overlay depicting a curved pathway from the needle tip towards the tissue along which the needle tip will travel if the distal part with the suture needle grasped by the jaws is rotated about the second longitudinal axis.