Apparatus for measuring in-vivo mechanical properties of biological tissues

1. An apparatus for measuring mechanical properties of tissue comprising:

a stereo optical surgical microscope comprising:

at least one objective lens,

an illuminator, and

at least a first and a second digital cameras, such that a first digital camera is coupled to provide digital images of the tissue as observed from a first angle, and a second digital camera is coupled to provide digital images of the tissue as observed from a second angle-through the at least one objective lens, paired images obtained from the first and second camera forming a stereo pair;

a digital image processing system adapted to determine surface topography of tissue from stereo pairs of images obtained by the at least two digital cameras;

at least one indenter; and

mechanical modeling routines stored in memory of the digital image processing system, the mechanical modeling routines adapted to construct a computer model of mechanical properties of tissue, and fitting parameters of the computer model to a measured displacement map obtained by co-registering surface topography of tissue without indenter on the tissue and surface topography of the tissue with the indenter positioned on the tissue;

the apparatus further comprising a display system for displaying a map of fitted parameters of the computer model;

wherein the memory is further configured to store preoperative locations of particular selected structures, and wherein the mechanical modeling routines are further adapted to determine intraoperative locations of the particular selected structures using the fitted parameters;

wherein the image processing system is configured to determine the surface topography of the tissue by subtracting a model of the indenter from surface topography determined from stereo pairs of images.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the image processing system is configured to compensate for blood pressure pulsations in determining a surface topography from stereo image pairs.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the compensation for blood pressure pulsations is performed by synchronizing image capture to a heartbeat as determined by an electrocardiographic monitor or pulse oximeter.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the compensation for blood pressure pulsations is performed by averaging surface profile across at least one cardiac cycle as determined by an electrocardiographic monitor or pulse oximeter.

5. A method of measuring mechanical properties of tissue comprising:

obtaining a first stereo pair of images of a surface of the tissue;

placing an indenter on the tissue;

obtaining a second stereo pair of images of the surface of the tissue with the indenter on the tissue;

determining a first three-dimensional surface map of the tissue from the first stereo pair;

determining a second three-dimensional surface map of the tissue from the second stereo pair;

determining the resulting surface displacement map as a result from indentation by coregistering the first and second three-dimensional surface maps;

constructing a computer model of mechanical deformation of the tissue, the model having parameters for at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of tissue shear stiffness, tissue bulk modulus, tissue density, and tissue viscoelasticity; and

fitting the parameters of the computer model to the three-dimensional surface displacement map.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the computer model of mechanical deformation of the tissue is a mesh model having a plurality of elements, the elements being grouped into multiple regions, and wherein the parameters are fit separately for each region of the mesh model.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the tissue is brain tissue, and further comprising

extracting a craniotomy boundary from the first stereo image pair, and

constraining the computer model with the craniotomy boundary.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying the fitted parameters, comparing the determined parameters to standard values, and modifying a surgical plan based upon the displayed parameters.

9. A method for measuring mechanical properties of tissue comprising:

surgically exposing an organ having a lesion;

using a stereo optical system to obtain at least one pre-indentation stereo pair of images of the organ, and using a digital image processing system to determine a pre-indentation surface topography of the organ from the pre-indentation stereo pair;

placing at least one indenter on the organ;

using the stereo optical system to obtain at least one post-indentation stereo pair of images of the organ, and using a digital image processing system to determine a post-indentation surface topography of the organ from the post-indentation stereo pair;

determining a displacement map by coregistering the pre and post indentation surface topography and determining displacement therebetween;

fitting parameters of a computer model of mechanical properties of the organ to the measured displacement map to determine mechanical properties of the organ, the computer model being a mesh model having parameters at elements of for at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of tissue shear stiffness, tissue bulk modulus, tissue density, and tissue viscoelasticity;

using the computer model and preoperative locations of particular selected structures to determine intraoperative locations of the particular selected structures using the fitted parameters.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the lesion is a tumor, wherein a particular selected structure of the selected structures is the tumor, and further comprising removing at least a portion of the tumor.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising mapping mechanical properties of the organ.

12. An apparatus for measuring mechanical properties of tissue comprising:

a stereo optical surgical microscope comprising:

at least one objective lens,

an illuminator, and

at least a first and a second digital cameras, such that a first digital camera is coupled to provide digital images of the tissue as observed from a first angle, and a second digital camera is coupled to provide digital images of the tissue as observed from a second angle-through the at least one objective lens, paired images obtained from the first and second camera forming a stereo pair;

a digital image processing system adapted to determine surface topography of tissue from stereo pairs of images obtained by the at least two digital cameras;

at least one indenter; and

mechanical modeling routines stored in memory of the digital image processing system, the mechanical modeling routines adapted to construct a computer model of mechanical properties of tissue, and fitting parameters of the computer model to a measured displacement map obtained by co-registering surface topography of tissue without indenter on the tissue and surface topography of the tissue with the indenter positioned on the tissue;

the apparatus further comprising a display system for displaying a map of fitted parameters of the computer model;

wherein the image processing system is configured to determine the surface topography of the tissue by subtracting a model of the indenter from surface topography determined from stereo pairs of images.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the image processing system is configured to compensate for blood pressure pulsations in determining a surface topography from stereo image pairs.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the compensation for blood pressure pulsations is performed by synchronizing image capture to a heartbeat as determined by an electrocardiographic monitor or pulse oximeter.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the compensation for blood pressure pulsations is performed by averaging surface profile across at least one cardiac cycle as determined by an electrocardiographic monitor or pulse oximeter.