IP Library Granted Patent US 11,642,179
Granted Patent B2
US 11,642,179 · App. 17/691,023 · Granted May 9, 2023

Artificial intelligence guidance system for robotic surgery

Inventors: Jeffrey Roh (Seattle, WA); Justin Esterberg (Mercer Island, WA)
Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
A61B34/20G06N3/08G16H40/60A61B90/361A61B2034/2074G06N20/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,642,179
App. No.
17/691,023
Granted
May 9, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

This invention is a system and method for utilizing artificial intelligence to operate a surgical robot (e.g., to perform a laminectomy), including a surgical robot, an artificial intelligence guidance system, an image recognition system, an image recognition database, and a database of past procedures with sensor data, electronic medical records, and imaging data. The image recognition system may identify the tissue type present in the patient and if it is the desired tissue type, the AI guidance system may remove a layer of that tissue with the end effector on the surgical robot, and have the surgeon define the tissue type if the image recognition system identified the tissue as anything other than the desired tissue type.

Claims (79)

1. A computer-implemented method for generating overlay information for display upon an image captured during a surgical procedure employing a surgical robot, the method comprising:

obtaining an image during the surgical procedure, the image comprising:

a first region depicting a first tissue; and

a second region depicting a second tissue;

applying a tissue identification system to at least a portion of the image to determine:

a first tissue type identification associated with the first region;

a first position in the image associated with the first region;

a second tissue type identification associated with the second region; and

a second position in the image associated with the second region; and

causing an overlay to be generated, the overlay configured to depict:

the position of the first region in the image and the position of the second region in the image; and

an indication of a distance between the first region and the second region.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, the tissue identification system comprises a neural network, the neural network configured:

to consider the global context of the at least a portion of the image applied to the neural network; and

to determine one or more boundaries corresponding to detected tissues in the image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict the first tissue type identification associated with the first region and to depict the second tissue type identification associated with the second region.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict:

a boundary of the first region; and

a boundary of the second region.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , the method further comprising:

determining, based, at least in part, on data from a historical image recognition database, that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm; and

causing the indication of the distance in the overlay to be highlighted in response to the determination that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside the norm.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , the method further comprising:

determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal, and wherein,

determining the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm occurs, at least in part, in response to the determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein the image is a fluoroscopic image.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions configured to cause a computer system to perform a method for generating overlay information for display upon an image captured during a surgical procedure employing a surgical robot, the method comprising:

obtaining an image during the surgical procedure, the image comprising:

a first region depicting a first tissue; and

a second region depicting a second tissue;

applying a tissue identification system to at least a portion of the image to determine:

a first tissue type identification associated with the first region;

a first position in the image associated with the first region;

a second tissue type identification associated with the second region; and

a second position in the image associated with the second region; and

causing an overlay to be generated, the overlay configured to depict:

the position of the first region in the image and the position of the second region in the image; and

an indication of a distance between the first region and the second region.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein, the tissue identification system comprises a neural network, the neural network configured:

to consider the global context of the at least a portion of the image applied to the neural network; and

to determine one or more boundaries corresponding to detected tissues in the image.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict the first tissue type identification associated with the first region and to depict the second tissue type identification associated with the second region.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict:

a boundary of the first region; and

a boundary of the second region.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , the method further comprising:

determining, based, at least in part, on data from a historical image recognition database, that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm; and

causing the indication of the distance in the overlay to be highlighted in response to the determination that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside the norm.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12 , the method further comprising:

determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal, and wherein,

determining the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm occurs, at least in part, in response to the determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the image is a fluoroscopic image.

15. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising instructions configured to cause the computer system to perform a method for generating overlay information for display upon an image captured during a surgical procedure employing a surgical robot, the method comprising:

obtaining an image during the surgical procedure, the image comprising:

a first region depicting a first tissue; and

a second region depicting a second tissue;

applying a tissue identification system to at least a portion of the image to determine:

a first tissue type identification associated with the first region;

a first position in the image associated with the first region;

a second tissue type identification associated with the second region; and

a second position in the image associated with the second region; and

causing an overlay to be generated, the overlay configured to depict:

the position of the first region in the image and the position of the second region in the image; and

an indication of a distance between the first region and the second region.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein, the tissue identification system comprises a neural network, the neural network configured:

to consider the global context of the at least a portion of the image applied to the neural network; and

to determine one or more boundaries corresponding to detected tissues in the image.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict the first tissue type identification associated with the first region and to depict the second tissue type identification associated with the second region.

18. The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the overlay is further configured to depict:

a boundary of the first region; and

a boundary of the second region.

19. The computer system of claim 18 , the method further comprising:

determining, based, at least in part, on data from a historical image recognition database, that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm; and

causing the indication of the distance in the overlay to be highlighted in response to the determination that the distance between the first region and the second region is outside the norm.

20. The computer system of claim 19 , the method further comprising:

determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal, and wherein,

determining the distance between the first region and the second region is outside a norm occurs, at least in part, in response to the determining that the first tissue type identification corresponds to a desired tissue type to proceed with a tissue removal.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: ROH, JEFFREY; ESTERBERG, JUSTIN
To: NAVLAB HOLDINGS II LLC
Reel/Frame 059215/0787 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: NAVLAB, INC.; NAVLAB HOLDINGS II LLC
To: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059215/0834 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 17097328 · Nov 13, 2020
Continuation 16582065 · Sep 25, 2019
Continuation 16288077 · Feb 27, 2019
Provisional Application 62636046 · Feb 27, 2018
Related Publication 20220192758A1 · Jun 23, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,504,002