Methods and Apparatus for Surgical Planning

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enhancing surgical planning provide enhanced planning of entry port placement and/or robot position for laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive surgery. Various embodiments may be used in robotic surgery systems to identify advantageous entry ports for multiple robotic surgical tools into a patient to access a surgical site. Generally, data such as imaging data is processed and used to create a model of a surgical site, which can then be used to select advantageous entry port sites for two or more surgical tools based on multiple criteria. Advantageous robot positioning may also be determined, based on the entry port locations and other factors. Validation and simulation may then be provided to ensure feasibility of the selected port placements and/or robot positions. Such methods, apparatus, and systems may also be used in non-surgical contexts, such as for robotic port placement in munitions diffusion or hazardous waste handling.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for identifying advantageous locations for two or more entry ports for performing a robotic surgical procedure on a body of a patient, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of port optimization criteria;   assigning numerical values to the port optimization criteria associated with each of at least two candidate port arrangements;   computing a cost metric for each candidate port arrangement, the cost metric comprising a weighted combination of the numerical values assigned to the port optimization criteria for that candidate port arrangement; and   selecting the candidate port arrangement having an optimal value of the cost metric.   
     
     
         3 . The method as in  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of criteria includes at least one of robot kinematics, robot kinetics, robot work range, deviation of tool entry angle from normal, organ geometry, surgeon defined constraints, robot force limitations, and patient force limitations. 
     
     
         4 . The method as in  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of criteria includes at least one of a deviation from a desired configuration, arm placement symmetry with respect to endoscope positioning, and tool entry angle with respect to surface normal. 
     
     
         5 . The method as in  claim 2 , the assigning numerical values comprising employing imaging data acquired using at least one of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, conventional radiography, and arterial angiography. 
     
     
         6 . The method as in  claim 2 , further comprising determining positions for robotic arms individually holding one of a triplet of medical devices for insertion into three surgical entry ports. 
     
     
         7 . The method as in  claim 6 , wherein the determination of the positions of the robotic arms is based at least in part on a set of criteria, the criteria including at least one of robot kinematics, robot kinetics, robot work range, deviation of tool entry angle from normal, organ geometry, surgeon defined constraints, robot force limitations, and patient force limitations. 
     
     
         8 . The method as in  claim 2 , further comprising: preparing a representation of a defined volume within the patient from a set of acquired data; and facilitating a first simulation for enabling a user to simulate a medical procedure performed through said surgical entry ports, the first simulation based upon the representation of the defined volume, the advantageous locations of the entry ports, and a surgical protocol. 
     
     
         9 . The method as in  claim 8 , further comprising: enabling the user to reject one or more of the advantageous locations based on the first simulation; determining different advantageous locations based on the user's rejection; and facilitating a second simulation for enabling the user to simulate the medical procedure, the second simulation being based upon the model of the defined volume, the different advantageous locations of the entry ports, and the surgical protocol. 
     
     
         10 . The method as in  claim 2 , further comprising storing information of the advantageous locations in a memory. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for identifying advantageous locations for two or more entry ports for performing a robotic surgical procedure on a body of a patient, the apparatus comprising a tangible medium configured with machine readable code to:
 identify a plurality of port optimization criteria;   assign numerical values to the port optimization criteria associated with each of at least two candidate port arrangements;   compute a cost metric for each candidate port arrangement, the cost metric comprising a weighted combination of the numerical values assigned to the port optimization criteria for that candidate port arrangement; and   select the candidate port arrangement having an optimal value of the cost metric.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , wherein the machine readable code is further configured to determine a preferred position for placement of a robotic apparatus relative to the plurality of surgical entry ports. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of criteria includes at least one of robot kinematics, robot kinetics, robot work range, deviation of tool entry angle from normal, organ geometry, surgeon defined constraints, robot force limitations, and patient force limitations. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of criteria includes at least one of a deviation from a desired configuration, arm placement symmetry with respect to endoscope positioning, and tool entry angle with respect to surface normal. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , the machine readable code configured to assign numerical values by employing imaging data acquired using at least one of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, conventional radiography, and arterial angiography. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , the machine readable code further configured to determine positions for robotic arms individually holding one of a triplet of medical devices for insertion into three surgical entry ports. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus as in  claim 16 , wherein the determination of the positions of the robotic arms is based at least in part on a set of criteria, the criteria including at least one of robot kinematics, robot kinetics, robot work range, deviation of tool entry angle from normal, organ geometry, surgeon defined constraints, robot force limitations, and patient force limitations. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , the machine readable code further configured to: prepare a representation of a defined volume within the patient from a set of acquired data; and facilitate a first simulation for enabling a user to simulate a medical procedure performed through said surgical entry ports, the first simulation based upon the representation of the defined volume, the advantageous locations of the entry ports, and a surgical protocol. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus as in  claim 18 , the machine readable code further configured to: enable the user to reject one or more of the advantageous locations based on the first simulation; determine different advantageous locations based on the user's rejection; and facilitate a second simulation for enabling the user to simulate the medical procedure, the second simulation being based upon the model of the defined volume, the different advantageous locations of the entry ports, and the surgical protocol. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus as in  claim 11 , the machine readable code further configured to store information of the advantageous locations in a memory. 
     
     
         21 . A robotic surgical system comprising:
 first and second robotic arms adapted to respectively hold first and second surgical tools for performing a medical procedure on a patient;   a third robotic arm adapted to hold an image capturing device, and a computer for selecting a preferred arrangement of entry ports for the first and second robotic arms from among at least two candidate port arrangements, the computer configured to:   identify a plurality of port optimization criteria;   assign numerical values to the port optimization criteria associated with each candidate port arrangement;   compute a cost metric for each candidate port arrangement, the cost metric comprising a weighted combination of the numerical values assigned to the port optimization criteria for that candidate port arrangement; and   select the candidate port arrangement having an optimal value of the cost metric as the preferred arrangement of the plurality of surgical entry ports.