How a Mixed Reality System Helps Plan Orthopedic Surgery

This patent describes a surgical planning system that uses a wearable mixed reality device to project a 3D virtual model of a patient's anatomy directly onto their real body, allowing surgeons to plan procedures without physical markers.

What it covers

The system creates a detailed virtual surgical plan, including a 3D virtual model of the body part needing surgery, like a bone or joint. A surgeon wears a special visualization device, similar to smart glasses, which projects this 3D virtual model directly into their view of the real patient. This allows the surgeon to precisely align, or 'register', the virtual model with the actual body part. This alignment happens without needing any physical tracking markers on the patient or in the operating room, making the process quicker and potentially more accurate for orthopedic procedures.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover surgical planning systems that rely on physical tracking markers placed on the patient or instruments.
• —Does not cover the actual surgical tools or robots used to perform the operation, only the planning and visualization.
• —Does not cover procedures outside of orthopedic surgery or those not involving soft tissue modeling.
• —Does not cover systems that do not use a wearable visualization device for projecting the virtual plan.
• —Does not cover systems that cannot achieve registration between the virtual model and real anatomy.

The clever bit

The truly clever part is achieving accurate 'registration' – aligning the virtual 3D model with the real patient's anatomy – without needing any physical markers. This simplifies the setup, reduces potential sources of error, and allows the surgeon to see the plan directly on the patient's body through the mixed reality device.

Why it matters

This technology aims to improve the precision and efficiency of orthopedic surgeries. By providing a direct, markerless overlay of a virtual surgical plan onto the patient, surgeons can visualize complex procedures more clearly before making any incisions. This could lead to better patient outcomes and potentially reduce operating room time by streamlining the planning and setup phases.

Real-world examples

• 1.Microsoft HoloLens used in medical training and surgical visualization
• 2.Augmented reality platforms for orthopedic implant placement
• 3.Mixed reality systems for pre-operative planning in joint replacement surgery
• 4.Surgical navigation systems that overlay patient data onto the surgical field