Methods and systems for setting trajectories and target locations for image guided surgery
A system for performing image-guided surgery includes an instrument having a first portion configured to define a trajectory into the body of a patient, a marker device and a user-interface component. A sensing device receives electromagnetic signals that are reflected or emitted from the marker device, and a processing system, coupled to the sensing device, includes at least one processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations that include tracking the position and orientation of the instrument relative to the patient based on the signals received at the sensing device, receiving a signal from the user-interface component of the instrument indicating a user-input event, and saving the trajectory into the body of the patient defined by the first portion of the instrument in response to receiving the signal.
1 . A method of operating a surgical system, the surgical system including a robotic arm comprising a plurality of links and joints, an instrument coupled to a distal end of the robotic arm, a motion tracking system configured to track a pose of the instrument and to track a pose of a bony portion of a spine, and one or more controllers performing the following:
registering a target trajectory to the bony portion of the spine;
detecting that the instrument is within a threshold distance to the target trajectory; and
implementing a haptic feedback to the instrument for indicating that the instrument is within the threshold distance to the target trajectory; wherein the target trajectory is a first target trajectory and further comprising a second target trajectory, and further comprising the one or more controllers: registering the first and second target trajectories to the bony portion of the spine; detecting that the instrument is within the threshold distance to the second target trajectory; and implementing the haptic feedback to the instrument for indicating that the instrument is within the threshold distance to the second target trajectory.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more controllers:
detecting that the instrument is no longer within the threshold distance to the target trajectory; and
ceasing to implement the haptic feedback to the instrument for indicating that the instrument is no longer within the threshold distance to the target trajectory.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more controllers:
implementing a first type of the haptic feedback to the instrument for indicating that the instrument is within the threshold distance to the target trajectory;
detecting that the instrument is no longer within the threshold distance to the target trajectory; and
implementing a second type of the haptic feedback to the instrument for indicating that the instrument is no longer within the threshold distance to the target trajectory.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more controllers implementing the haptic feedback to the instrument by further changing a characteristic of the haptic feedback as a function of a distance between the instrument and the target trajectory.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more controllers determining a trajectory of the instrument based on the motion tracking system.
6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising a display device, and further comprising the one or more controllers displaying, on the display device:
a graphical representation of the target trajectory relative to an image of the bony portion of the spine; and
a graphical representation of the trajectory of the instrument relative to the image of the bony portion of the spine.
7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising the one or more controllers detecting that the trajectory of the instrument intersects the target trajectory.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the one or more controllers controlling the robotic arm in a hand-guided mode.