Advanced Robotic Imaging System for Image-Guided Surgery

Coordinates Movement of Intraoperative Imaging Platforms and Surgical Tools Using Highly Advance Robotic Arms

This system of robotic arms increases accuracy and efficiency of image guided surgery (IGS). The IGS device market is projected to exceed $5 billion by 2023. Although they provide an improvement to surgical accuracy and precision, available IGS systems offer no reduction in operation time, have limited use within the surgical field environment, and do not produce intraoperative images of comparable quality to CT scans. These limitations have hindered the adoption of available IGS systems in applications such as spinal surgery.

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a comprehensive IGS system that utilizes robotic arms and robotic imaging platforms to enhance safety and precision. The system uses three robots that manipulate imaging and surgical components into and out of the operative field to improve surgery efficiency and eliminate sterile surgical field issues associated with available intraoperative IGS.

Application

System of robotic arms and imaging platforms that enhances the accuracy and efficiency of intraoperative image-guided surgery

Advantages

• Provides intraoperative image guidance using choreographed, highly advanced robotic arms, increasing efficiency to reduce operation times
• Captures X-rays outside of the imaging field, reducing physician exposure to radiation
• Introduces and retracts surgical tools from operative field, eliminating many sterile-field issues
• Registers all types of images automatically in the same coordinate space, enhancing accuracy and improving surgical efficiency
• Enables non-equatorial scan trajectories, providing greatly increased flexibility and graphic reconstruction abilities

Technology

This imaging system incorporates robotic imaging and tool-holding arms that increase operational accuracy and precision, thereby providing higher-quality imaging while reducing operation time. The design includes three integrated robots, two for imaging and one for tool-holding. The imaging robots are capable of advanced two-dimensional and three-dimensional image acquisition and reconstruction and perform automatic image space calibration and registration. The tool-holding robot supports universal, on-the-fly tool calibration and advanced tool guidance.