System and method for laparoscopic nerve identification, nerve location marking, and nerve location recognition

1. A nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery comprising:

a) an optical element connected to a camera;

b) at least one recording electrode probe;

c) a surgical instrument for use as an exploratory probe;

d) an analyzer in operable communication with the at least one recording electrode; the analyzer operable to indicate a proximity of the exploratory probe to the nerve based on a strength of an electrical signal sensed by the at least one recording electrode; the strength of the electrical signal being displayed on a monitor and being sensed by a criteria gate;

e) an image capture and digital marker system that is activated by the criteria gate and sets and stores a digitally generated marker at the location of an identified nerve in the surgeon's visual field; and

f) an image control processor that sends a stored image to be displayed on a monitor; and

g) an image recognition processor with image recognition software that recognizes the image on a monitor of the surgeon's visual field when the visual marker of the nerve was generated and redisplays the stored image of the marker of an identified nerve at its location on a monitor when the image appears in the monitor.

2. The nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 1 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is manual.

3. The nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 1 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is robotic.

4. The nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 3 that includes a position recognition processor operating position recognition software that stores the position of the optical element when the visual marker of a nerve is first generated and, upon activation of a recall switch, returns the optical element to that position and redisplays the stored image of the marker of the identified nerve at its location on the monitor.

5. The identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 4 where the monitor is the surgeon's viewfinder of a robotic surgical device.

6. The nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 1 wherein said surgical instrument also functions as an electro cautery instrument.

7. The nerve identification, monitoring, location marking, and location recognition system used during laparoscopic surgery of claim 4 further comprising a control switch in operable communication with said analyzer, an electro cautery generator and said surgical instrument, to thereby permit an operator of said system to selectively alternate use of said surgical instrument between use as a electro cautery instrument and use as an exploratory probe.

8. A method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery comprising:

a) providing an optical element connected to a camera;

b) providing a surgical instrument for use as an exploratory probe;

c) providing at least one electrode probe inserted into a body cavity through a surface of the body, the at least one electrode probe being operable to couple to muscle tissue within the body cavity;

d) introducing an electrical signal via the surgical instrument operating as an exploratory probe to the body within the body cavity along a presumed pathway of a nerve, thereby selectively creating an electrical potential received by the at least one electrode probe coupled to the muscle tissue within the body cavity;

e) analyzing and displaying the electrical potential;

f) observing and evaluating data with an analyzer to determine a location of the nerve;

g) capturing an image of the pathway of the nerve;

h) generating a visual marker of the pathway and displaying and storing the image for future reference;

i) saving the exact positioning of the optical element during the procedure allowing a return to the same exact position through image recognition; and

j) presenting the visual marker of the pathway upon returning to the same exact position.

9. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 8 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is manual.

10. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during manual laparoscopic surgery of claim 9 wherein:

in response to manually returning the optical element to the position it was in when the nerve was marked and the image was stored, the method includes recognizing an image that matches the stored image;

in response to (a) recognizing that the image matches the stored image and (b) activating a re-display switch, the method includes restoring the digitally generated marker of the identified nerve on a monitor.

11. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 8 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is robotic and the optical element is returned to the position it was in when the nerve was marked and the image was stored by use of a recall switch.

12. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 11 wherein the activation of the recall switch restores the digitally generated marker of the identified nerve on a monitor.

13. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 12 wherein the monitor is the surgeon's viewfinder of a robotic surgical device.

14. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 8 wherein said surgical instrument also functions as an electro cautery instrument.

15. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 8 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is robotic and the optical element is returned to a magnification setting it had when the nerve was marked and the image was stored by use of a recall switch.

16. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 11 wherein the laparoscopic surgery is robotic and the optical element is returned to a magnification setting it had when the nerve was marked and the image was stored by use of the recall switch.

17. A nerve monitoring system comprising:

a) an optical element to connect to a camera;

b) at least one recording electrode probe;

c) a surgical instrument operable as an exploratory probe;

d) an analyzer to communicate with the at least one recording electrode probe, the analyzer operable to indicate proximity of the exploratory probe to a nerve based on a strength of an electrical signal sensed by the at least one recording electrode;

e) an image capture and digital marker system operable to set and store a digital marker at a location of the nerve in a monitor of the surgeon's visual field;

f) an image recognition processor with image recognition software operable to: (i) recognize an image that was present on the monitor when the marker was set, and (ii) when the image appears in the monitor, redisplay the marker at the location on the monitor.

18. The system of claim 17 comprising:

a recall switch; and

a position recognition processor to store a magnification setting and position of the optical element when the marker is set and, upon activation of the recall switch, return the optical element to that magnification setting and position.

19. The method for nerve identification, location marking, and location recognition during laparoscopic surgery of claim 8 wherein:

the laparoscopic surgery is robotic;

in response to use of a recall switch and during the laparoscopic surgery, the optical element is returned to the position the optical element was in: (a) during the laparoscopic surgery, (b) when the nerve was marked, and (c) when the image was stored; and

the position is relative to an anatomical feature of the patient.