Other

Johns Hopkins University

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (a*star)

Chee-Kong Chui

Yaoping Wang

Wieslaw Lucjan Nowinski

Yiyu Cai

James H Anderson

Marcelo H Ang, Jr

William R Brody

Hua Wei

Percy Chen

Koon-Hou Mak

The invention provides a system for virtually designing a medical device conformed for use with a specific patient. Using the system, a three-dimensional geometric model of a patient-specific body cavity or lumen is reconstructed from scanned volume images such as obtained x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), ultrasound (US), angiography or other imaging modalities. Knowledge of the physical properties of the cavity/lumen is obtained by determining the relationship between image density and the stiffness or elasticity of tissues in the body cavity or lumen and is used to model interactions between a simulated device and a simulated body cavity or lumen.

Simulation method for designing customized medical devices

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of interacting with simulated three-dimensional objects, the method including the steps of the identification of three-dimensional objects from volume images; the association of physical properties with identified objects said properties including at least visual and haptic properties of the identified objects; and incorporating said identified objects and associated physical properties into a system including at least one visual interface device and at least one haptic interface device thus enabling the system to simulate visual and haptic properties of the identified objects, or any part thereof, to a human user interacting with the simulated three-dimensional objects, or any part thereof, said interaction including the generation of signals by the system for transmission to the at least one visual interface device in accordance with the physical properties associated with the objects and the reception of signals from the least one haptic interface device in accordance with user requests.

Virtual surgery system with force feedback

An apparatus for use in simulated image guided surgery comprises a positional transducer, clamping means located proximate to the transducer, and a processor. The transducer is responsive to a thin flexible member that can be manipulated by a user, and produces signals representative of displacement and rotation of the thin flexible member. The clamping means responds to a controlling signal to apply a predetermined variable clamping force to the flexible member. The processor receives these displacement and rotation signals, and is programmed to plot the path of the flexible member therefrom as it is manipulated by the user. Additionally, the processor produces the controlling signal to the clamping means in response to the instantaneous position along the path. The processor may be coupled to a display device for displaying an image of the instantaneous position of the flexible wire therealong, or other information. The invention also includes a related method for the simulation of image guided surgery. Embodiments of the invention can be used to simulate the manual positioning of a catheter and guidewire, as well as the haptic forces exerted by the user's hand and fingers in that positioning, or can simulate the process of balloon angioplasty, including stent deployment.

Apparatus for the simulation of image-guided surgery

Growing community of inventors

Singapore, Singapore

Chee-Kong Chui