SYSTEMS AND METHOD OF PLANNING THORACIC SURGERY

20240024029

18/026586

September 30, 2021

Systems and method of planning thoracic surgery. A three-dimensional model is generated to provide greater clarity between lung segments as well as identifying the airways and vasculature supporting the lung segment to enable accurate surgical planning.

Covidien LP (Mansfield, MA, US)

1. A method of planning a thoracic surgery comprising: receiving computed tomography (CT) image data; receiving an indication of a location of a target in the CT image data generate a three-dimensional model (3D) from the CT image data; receiving a selection of a generation level; removing from a representation of the 3D model in a user interface the generations beyond the selected generation level. receiving a selection of a crop tool; presenting a region around a target; receiving a change in the region around the target; identifying all airways and blood vessels of the 3D model entering the changed region and all preceding airways and blood vessels directly connected to the airways and blood vessels in the 3D model to form identified airways and blood vessels; and removing from the 3D model all airways and blood vessels other than the identified airways and blood vessels.

2. A method of planning a thoracic surgery comprising: receiving computed tomography (CT) image data; generating a three-dimensional model (3D) from the CT image data; receiving a selection of a crop tool; presenting a region around a target; identifying all airways and blood vessels of the 3D model entering the region and all preceding airways and blood vessels directly connected to the airways and blood vessels entering the region in the 3D model; removing from the 3D model all airways and blood vessels other than the identified airways and blood vessels; and displaying the 3D model in a user interface, wherein the 3D model includes only the identified airways and blood vessels.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving an indication of a location of a target in the CT image data.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a selection of a generation level and removing generations from the 3D model beyond the selected generation level.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a generation by identifying a bifurcation of an airway or blood vessel and determining a diameter of an airway or blood vessel leading to the bifurcation and a diameter of airways or blood vessels extending beyond the bifurcation, wherein one of the airways or blood vessels extending from the bifurcation is considered the same generation as the airway or blood vessel leading to the bifurcation when the determined diameters are similar in size.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining that an airway or blood vessel extending from a bifurcation is at a next generation when that airway or blood vessel's diameter less than 50% of the diameter of the airway or blood vessel leading to the bifurcation.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a change in shape of the region around the target.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising capturing a screenshot.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising at least one CT image, wherein the CT image is tied to the 3D model such that manipulation of the 3D model results in corresponding changes to the display of the CT image.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising segmenting airways and blood vessels in the CT image data to generate the 3D model.

11. A thoracic surgery planning system comprising: a processor; a display in communication with the processor; and a memory in communication with the processor, wherein the memory stores therein executable code that when executed by the processor generate a user interface (UI) for display on the display, the user interface including, a three-dimensional (3D) model of airways and vasculature of a patient's lungs; at least one generation tool configured to limit a number of generations of the 3D model displayed; a margin tool configured to adjust a displayed margin around a target; and a plurality of orientation manipulation tools configured to alter the view of the 3D model presented in the UI.

12. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 11, wherein the memory is configured to receive CT image scan data and the processor is configured executed code stored in the memory to generate the 3D model from the CT image scan.

13. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 11, wherein the UI includes an orientation compass identifying axial, coronal, and sagittal planes of 3D model.

14. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 13, further comprising an anchoring tool, wherein the anchoring tool enables placement of the orientation compass on or near the 3D model to define a point of rotation of the 3D model.

15. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 11, further comprising a single axis rotation tool, wherein when one of the axes in the single axis selection to is selected, all further inputs to rotate the 3D model achieve rotation only about the selected axis.

16. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 11, further comprising a zoom tool, wherein the zoom tool depicts a relative size of the presented model in the UI compared to full size.

17. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 16, wherein the zoom tool also enables panning of the 3D model in the UI.

18. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 11 further comprising a crop tool, wherein when selected a region is depicted around the target.

19. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 18, wherein the region is adjustable such that segments of airways or blood vessels are included or excluded from the region.

20. The thoracic surgery planning system of claim 19, wherein when the crop is executed the processor executes code to determine the airways or blood vessels which are within the region and any of their preceding airways or blood vessels, and the 3D model is updated to eliminate all airways or blood vessels except for the identified airways or blood vessels.

21-31. (canceled)

61; 61; 06; 06

edspap.20240024029