CN116807598A

CN116807598A - Ablation guiding method, system, device and readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116807598A
Application number: CN202210278493.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪国强
Original assignee: Wuhan United Imaging Zhirong Medical Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuhan United Imaging Zhirong Medical Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-21
Filing date: 2022-03-21
Publication date: 2023-09-29

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an ablation guiding method, system, apparatus, and readable storage medium. The ablation guidance system includes a display device; an end effector; and a control device comprising one or more processors and a memory, the memory comprising operational instructions adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: determining an actual needle tip position based on a current image displayed by the display device; registering the current image with a corresponding planning image, wherein the planning image reflects the planning needle point position; according to the registration result, based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position, controlling an end execution device to guide and adjust an ablation needle.

Description

Ablation guiding method, system, device and readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of medical technology, and in particular, to an ablation guiding method and system.

Background

Ablation is a common tumor treatment mode, and can lead pathological tissues to be irreversibly damaged through cold/heat/electricity effect, thereby achieving the purpose of eliminating tumors. Whether the ablation needle effectively avoids dangerous tissues, whether the ablation area completely covers the range of lesion infiltration, and the like are important concerns in the ablation process.

It is therefore desirable to provide an ablation guidance method and system that improves the accuracy of the ablation.

Disclosure of Invention

One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an ablation guiding method. The method comprises the following steps: determining an actual needle tip position based on the current image; registering the current image with a corresponding planning image, wherein the planning image reflects the planning needle point position; according to the registration result, guiding and adjusting an ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position.

In some embodiments, the determining the actual needle tip position based on the current image comprises: identifying a marker point in the current image based on a marker structure on the ablation needle; the actual needle tip position is determined based on the marker point.

In some embodiments, the marking structure is a convex structure, and the marking point is located at an intersection point of a profile section where a highest point of the convex structure is located and a central symmetry axis of the ablation needle.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: determining an actual needle path of the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position; guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the included angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: based on the current image, monitoring an actual ablation area in real time; guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone.

In some embodiments, the guiding adjusts the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone, comprising: based on the actual ablation area of one or more of the ablation needles, the ablation parameters of the other ablation needles are adjusted.

One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an ablation guidance system. The system comprises: a display device; an end effector; a control device comprising one or more processors and a memory, the memory comprising operational instructions adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising: determining an actual needle tip position based on a current image displayed by the display device; registering the current image with a corresponding planning image, wherein the planning image reflects the planning needle point position; according to the registration result, the end execution device is controlled to guide and adjust an ablation needle based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position.

In some embodiments, the ablation needle includes at least one raised structure thereon.

One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an ablation guidance system. The system comprises: the needle point positioning module is used for determining the actual needle point position based on the current image; the registration module is used for registering the current image and the corresponding plan image, and the plan image reflects the position of the plan needle point; and the adjusting module is used for guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position according to the registration result.

One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an ablation guide device, characterized in that the device includes: at least one storage medium storing computer instructions; at least one processor executing the computer instructions to implement the ablation guidance method as described above.

One of the embodiments of the present description provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when read by a computer, perform the ablation guidance method as described above.

Drawings

The present specification will be further elucidated by way of example embodiments, which will be described in detail by means of the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are not limiting, in which like numerals represent like structures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an application scenario of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present description;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance method shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary determination of a planned ablation scheme according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance method according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary actual tip position determination shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present description;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views of exemplary guided adjustment ablation needles according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a control schematic of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present specification, the drawings that are required to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is apparent that the drawings in the following description are only some examples or embodiments of the present specification, and it is possible for those of ordinary skill in the art to apply the present specification to other similar situations according to the drawings without inventive effort. Unless otherwise apparent from the context of the language or otherwise specified, like reference numerals in the figures refer to like structures or operations.

It will be appreciated that "system," "apparatus," "unit" and/or "module" as used herein is one method for distinguishing between different components, elements, parts, portions or assemblies at different levels. However, if other words can achieve the same purpose, the words can be replaced by other expressions.

As used in this specification and the claims, the terms "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not specific to a singular, but may include a plurality, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that the steps and elements are explicitly identified, and they do not constitute an exclusive list, as other steps or elements may be included in a method or apparatus.

A flowchart is used in this specification to describe the operations performed by the system according to embodiments of the present specification. It should be appreciated that the preceding or following operations are not necessarily performed in order precisely. Rather, the steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. Also, other operations may be added to or removed from these processes.

The embodiment of the specification provides an ablation guiding method, which can be used for positioning the actual needle point position in real time based on the current image in the ablation process, monitoring the actual ablation area and reversely registering the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position, and guiding and adjusting an ablation needle by comparing the difference between the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position, between the actual needle path and the planned needle path and/or between the actual ablation area and the planned ablation area. Through the difference calculation of actual ablation and planned ablation, one or more ablation needles are guided and adjusted in real time, so that the accuracy of ablation and the flexibility of an ablation scheme can be improved, and the complications and lesion tumor recurrence caused by ablation errors are reduced.

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of an application scenario of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the ablation guidance system 100 may include an imaging device 110, an end effector 120, a processing device 130, a terminal device 140, a storage device 150, and a network 160. In some embodiments, processing device 130 may be part of imaging device 110 and/or end effector 120.

The imaging device 110 may scan a target object within a detection region or scanning region to obtain scan data (e.g., a current image, a planning image, etc.) of the target object. In some embodiments, imaging device 110 may include a single modality scanner and/or a multi-modality scanner. The single mode scanner may include, for example, an ultrasound scanner, an X-ray scanner, a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, an ultrasound inspection machine, a positron emission computed tomography (PET) scanner, an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scanner, an Ultrasound (US) scanner, an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) scanner, a near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) scanner, a Far Infrared (FIR) scanner, or the like, or any combination thereof. The multi-modality scanner may include, for example, an X-ray imaging-magnetic resonance imaging (X-ray-MRI) scanner, a positron emission tomography-X-ray imaging (PET-X-ray) scanner, a single photon emission computed tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (SPECT-MRI) scanner, a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scanner, a digital subtraction angiography-magnetic resonance imaging (DSA-MRI) scanner, and the like. The above related description of the imaging apparatus is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present description.

The end effector 120 may be a robot that performs end operations (e.g., ablation, lancing). In some embodiments, the processing device 130 or a control device (e.g., control device 910 as shown in fig. 9) may direct the end effector 120 to perform a corresponding operation (e.g., an ablation operation) via a remote operation control. In some embodiments, the functional components of the end effector 120 (e.g., ablation needle, etc.) may be disposed at the robotic arm end, and the processing device 130 or the control device (e.g., control device 910) may be electrically connected to the robotic arm end through a communication means (e.g., network 160) for controlling the robotic arm end to carry out a synchronization operation with the functional components (e.g., ablation needle, etc.). For example, the processing device 130 or a control device (e.g., control device 910) may cause the ablation needle to perform a corresponding operation by controlling the rotation, translation, etc. of the end of the robotic arm. As another example, the treatment device 130 or a control device (e.g., control device 910) may be advanced by controlling the distal end of the robotic arm to drive the ablation needle to perform a penetration operation. In some embodiments, the end effector 120 may be a robotic arm body for moving a robotic arm tip to control and/or adjust the operation and/or pose (e.g., angle, position, etc.) of a functional component (e.g., ablation needle) carried by the robotic arm tip.

The processing device 130 may process data and/or information acquired from the imaging device 110, the end effector 120, the terminal device 140, the storage device 150, or other components of the ablation guidance system 100. For example, the processing device 130 may acquire a planning image (e.g., tomographic image, PET scan image, etc.) of the target object from the imaging device 110 and perform an analysis process thereon to determine a planned ablation scheme (e.g., planning a needle tract, planning an ablation region, etc.). For another example, the processing device 130 may acquire a current image (e.g., a tomographic image) of the target object from the imaging device 110 and perform an analysis process thereon to control the end effector 120 to guide adjustment of the ablation needle. In some embodiments, the processing device 130 may be local or remote. For example, processing device 130 may access information and/or data from imaging device 110, end effector 120, terminal device 140, and/or storage device 150 via network 160.

In some embodiments, the processing device 130 and the imaging device 110 may be integrated. In some embodiments, the processing device 130 and the imaging device 110 may be directly or indirectly connected, with the combined actions implementing the methods and/or functions described herein.

In some embodiments, processing device 130 and end effector 120 may be integrated. In some embodiments, processing device 130 and end effector 120 may be directly or indirectly coupled to each other, and the combined actions implement the methods and/or functions described herein. In some embodiments, imaging device 110, end effector 120, and processing device 130 may be integrated. In some embodiments, imaging device 110, end effector 120, and processing device 130 may be directly or indirectly coupled to each other, and the combined actions implement the methods and/or functions described herein.

In some embodiments, processing device 130 may include input means and/or output means. Interaction with the user (e.g., displaying the current image and/or the planning image) may be accomplished through an input device and/or an output device. In some embodiments, the input device and/or output device may include a display screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, etc., or any combination thereof.

Terminal device 140 may be coupled to and/or in communication with imaging device 110, end effector 120, processing device 130, and/or storage device 150. For example, the terminal device 140 may obtain and display a current image of the target object from the imaging device 110, facilitate real-time monitoring of the actual ablation region of the ablation needle by a user, and the like. In some embodiments, terminal device 140 may include a mobile device 141, a tablet 142, a notebook 143, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminal device 140 (or all or part of its functionality) may be integrated in the processing device 130.

Storage device 150 may store data, instructions, and/or any other information. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data (e.g., planning images of the target object, current images, ablation parameters, etc.) acquired from the imaging device 110, the end-effector device 120, and/or the processing device 130. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store scanned images (e.g., planning images, current images) related to the target object, actual needle tip positions of the ablation needles, actual needle tracks, actual ablation areas, planned needle tip positions, planned needle tracks, planned ablation areas, etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store computer instructions for implementing the ablation guidance method.

In some embodiments, storage device 150 may include one or more storage components, each of which may be a separate device or may be part of another device. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may include Random Access Memory (RAM), read Only Memory (ROM), mass storage, removable memory, volatile read-write memory, and the like, or any combination thereof. Exemplary mass storage devices may include magnetic disks, optical disks, solid state disks, and the like. In some embodiments, storage device 150 may be implemented on a cloud platform.

Network 160 may include any suitable network capable of facilitating the exchange of information and/or data. In some embodiments, at least one component of the ablation guidance system 100 (e.g., imaging device 110, end effector 120, processing device 130, terminal device 140, storage device 150) may exchange information and/or data with at least one other component of the ablation guidance system 100 via the network 160. For example, the processing device 130 may obtain a planning image and/or a current image of the target object from the imaging device 110 via the network 160.

In some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 100 may also include a medical bed 115. The medical bed 115 may be used to place a target object in order to scan the target object and/or perform ablation operations. In some embodiments, the medical bed may include an automated medical bed and/or a hand-propelled medical bed. In some embodiments, the medical bed 115 may be part of the imaging device 110 or the end effector 120.

It should be noted that the ablation guidance system 100 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present description. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present description. For example, the ablation guidance system 100 may perform similar or different functions on other devices. However, such changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present specification.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance system shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present description.

As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 200 may include a tip positioning module 210, a registration module 220, and an adjustment module 230. In some embodiments, the corresponding functions of the ablation guidance system 200 may be performed by the processing device 130.

The tip location module 210 may be used to determine the actual tip location based on the current image. In some embodiments, the tip positioning module 210 may be used to identify a marker point in the current image based on a marker structure on the ablation needle; and determining the actual needle tip position based on the marker points. In some embodiments, the marking structure may be a raised structure. In some embodiments, the marking point may be located at the intersection of the profile cross-section where the highest point of the bump structure is located and the central symmetry axis of the ablation needle.

The registration module 220 may be used to register the current image with the corresponding planning image. Wherein the planning image embodies a planning needle tip position. In some embodiments, the registration module 220 may further include an image registration unit, a needle track registration unit, and an ablation region registration unit (not shown in the figures). For example, the image registration unit may be configured to register the current image and the corresponding planning image; the needle track registration unit may be used to determine an actual needle track of the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and/or to determine an angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track; the ablation region registration unit may be used to monitor the actual ablation region in real time and/or to calculate the deviation between the actual ablation region and the planned ablation region based on the current image.

The adjustment module 230 may be used to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position according to the registration result. In some embodiments, the adjustment module 230 may be used to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle based on the angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track. In some embodiments, the adjustment module 230 may be used to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone. In some embodiments, the adjustment module 230 may be used to adjust ablation parameters of other ablation needles based on actual ablation areas of one or more of the ablation needles. In some embodiments, the adjustment module 230 may guide the adjustment of the ablation needle by controlling the end effector 120.

In some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 200 may further include an ablation protocol planning module (not shown) for determining a planned needle tip position, a planned needle tract, and/or a planned ablation region of an ablation protocol, etc. In some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 200 may also include an evaluation module for data analysis of images (e.g., planning images and current images) or physical information.

It should be understood that the system shown in fig. 2 and its modules may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, in some embodiments the system and its modules may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

It should be noted that the above description of the ablation guide system 200 and its modules is for descriptive convenience only and is not intended to limit the present description to the scope of the illustrated embodiments. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, given the principles of the system, various modules may be combined arbitrarily or a subsystem may be constructed in connection with other modules without departing from such principles. For example, in some embodiments, the above modules disclosed in fig. 2 may be different modules in one system, or may be one module to implement the functions of two or more modules described above. For example, each module may share one memory module, or each module may have a respective memory module. Such variations are within the scope of the present description.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance method shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present description. In some embodiments, the procedure 300 may be performed by the ablation guidance system 100 (e.g., the processing device 130), the ablation guidance system 200, or the ablation guidance system 900 (e.g., the control device 910). For example, the flow 300 may be stored in a storage device (e.g., storage device 150, a memory unit of a system) in the form of a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor or module shown in fig. 2, may implement the flow 300. As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the process 300 may include the following steps.

Step 310, determining an actual needle tip position based on the current image. In some embodiments, step 310 may be performed by processing device 130, control device 910, or tip positioning module 210.

The current image refers to a real-time scanned image of the target object during performance of the ablation procedure, which may reflect real-time ablation conditions (e.g., actual needle tip position, actual needle tract, and/or actual ablation region, etc.). In some embodiments, the target object may include an entirety or a portion of a biological object and/or a non-biological object involved in the scanning process. For example, the target object may be an organic and/or inorganic substance, whether living or not, such as the head, ear, nose, neck, chest, abdomen, liver, gall, pancreas, spleen, kidney, spine, etc.

In some embodiments, the ablation operation may include two steps, puncturing and ablating. Wherein, the puncture refers to the process of penetrating the ablation needle from the outside of the target object to the target point, and the ablation refers to the process of performing cold/heat effect on the focus area at the target point to eliminate the lesion tissue. For example, ablation may include thermal ablation, cold ablation, electrical ablation, and the like. In some embodiments, the ablation operation may include one or more "puncture+ablation" actions. In some embodiments, multiple "puncture+ablation" actions may correspond to different needle tracks, respectively. For example, as shown in fig. 8 (b), 3 intersecting elliptical areas correspond to 3 needle tracks, respectively.

In some embodiments, the current image may include one or more of a CT pan image, a CT enhancement image, an MRI scan image, etc. of the target object (e.g., a patient). In some embodiments, the current image may include a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image. In some embodiments, the current image of the target object may be acquired by an imaging device (e.g., imaging device 110). In some embodiments, a current image displayed on a display device may be acquired. For example, a current image of a target object displayed on a display interface of the imaging device 110 or the terminal device 140 may be acquired. As another example, a real-time current image displayed by display device 920 may be acquired.

In some embodiments, the actual needle tip position may reflect the actual needle insertion point and/or actual needle tract of the ablation needle during performance of the ablation procedure. In some embodiments, the marker points in the current image may be identified based on the marker structure on the ablation needle; and determining the actual needle tip position based on the marker points. In some embodiments, the marking structure may be a raised structure (e.g., oval raised, rounded raised, irregular raised, etc.). In some embodiments, the marking point may be located at the intersection of the profile cross-section where the highest point of the bump structure is located and the central symmetry axis of the ablation needle. In some embodiments, the actual needle tip position may be determined directly based on the marker points. In some embodiments, the location point position may be determined based on the marking point, and the actual needle tip position may be determined based on the location point position. In some embodiments, the anchor point may reflect the direction in which the tip of the ablation needle is located (e.g., point a in fig. 6 (a)). In some embodiments, the anchor point may be determined based on information such as the length of the ablation needle. For example, a point from the marking point r may be determined as a locating point according to the length of the ablation needle, r being smaller than the length of the ablation needle. In some embodiments, the actual needle tip position may be determined by image recognition, statistics, or the like.

For example only, if the current image is a CT plain image, the ablation needle and its bump structure will be in a highlighted state in the CT plain image, and the processing device 130 may screen the mask (mask) representing the ablation needle in the CT plain image by a threshold manner (e.g., screen out pixels with pixels greater than a preset threshold). Further, the processing device 130 may determine a central symmetry axis of the ablation needle by using a principal component analysis method on the mask of the ablation needle, determine a marking point of the ablation needle based on the central symmetry axis, calculate a positioning point position according to a position of the marking point, and further determine an actual needle tip position. For example, as shown in fig. 6 (a), the straight line M where the point AB is located is the central symmetry axis of the ablation needle, and at the position B with the distance r from the point a, there is a convex structure T different from other positions, and the processing device 130 may obtain the convex surface point at the convex structure by performing curvature calculation on the mask surface of the ablation needle. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the area S enclosed at the corresponding plane of the point of the different convex surface is different (e.g. away from the corresponding plane S at the center point of the point convex structure ₁ Area is smaller than the corresponding plane S at the center point ₂ The processing device 130 may determine the cross-sectional profile of the area S maximum as the profile cross-section where the highest point of the bump structure is located, and the intersection of the profile cross-section and the central symmetry axis as the marker point by calculating the area of the cross-sectional profile constructed by the plane perpendicular to the AB direction (i.e., the central symmetry axis of the ablation needle) and the bump surface (e.g., selecting the profile cross-section S of the greatest cross-sectional profile area) ₂ The intersection point B of the ablation needle and the straight line M is a mark point), the position A of the mark point can be calculated based on the distance r between the mark point B and the mark point, and then the actual needle point position in the current image is determined based on the position A of the mark point and the length and the direction of the ablation needle. By determining the actual needle point position based on the marking point and/or the locating point, the influence of poor developing effect in the image caused by thinner needle point on the recognition result can be avoided, and the accuracy of the determined actual needle point position can be improved.

In some embodiments, the ablation needle may include one or more marking structures. For example, the ablation needle may include 2 evenly distributed raised structures T, or 3 randomly distributed raised structures T. In some embodiments, the marking point may be located within an interior region formed by the raised structure on the ablation needle (e.g., within the region P formed by the dashed oval in fig. 6 (b)). In some embodiments, the marking point may be located on the outer surface of the raised structure (i.e., the outer surface of the ablation needle) or inside (i.e., inside the ablation needle, as in point B of fig. 6 (a)). In some embodiments, the location of the marker points may be determined based on the shape, structure, etc. of the marker structure.

It will be appreciated that the above description of the location points, marking structures, and marking points is by way of example only, and in some embodiments the marking structures may include other reasonably viable shape structures (e.g., concave structures, umbrella structures), and accordingly the marking points may be located elsewhere on the marking structures (e.g., at the intersection of the profile cross-section of the concave structures with the central axis of symmetry, etc.), and the location points may be located elsewhere on the ablation needle (e.g., on the dashed line l in fig. 6 (a)), as this specification is not limiting.

Step 320, registering the current image with a corresponding planning image, the planning image representing the planning needle tip position. In some embodiments, step 320 may be performed by processing device 130, control device 910, or registration module 220.

The planning image refers to a scanned image of the target object before the ablation operation is performed, which may reflect information of tissue structure, composition, lesion condition, and the like of the target object. In some embodiments, the planning image may include one or more of a CT pan-scan image, a CT enhancement image, an MRI scan image, etc. of the target object (e.g., a patient). In some embodiments, the planning image may include a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image. In some embodiments, the planning image and the current image may be the same type of scanned image. For example, the planning image is a CT (computed tomography) flat-scan image of the target object before the ablation operation is performed, and the current image is a real-time CT flat-scan image of the target object during the ablation operation. In some embodiments, the planning image may be acquired by an imaging device (e.g., imaging device 110). In some embodiments, the planning image may be acquired over the network 160. For example, the processing device 130 may obtain its corresponding planning image from a patient's medical care facility via the network 160. In some embodiments, the planning image may be acquired by a medical system. For example, the processing device 130 may obtain a planning image of a patient from a medical system based on personal information and/or medical record information of the patient, and the like.

In some embodiments, the planning image may be used to determine a planned ablation plan. For example, one or more of a planned ablation range, a planned needle tip position, a planned needle track, a planned ablation region, or the like when performing an ablation operation on a target object may be determined by an analysis process or the like based on a planned image of the target object. For more details on determining the planned ablation scheme, reference is made to fig. 4 and its related description, which are not repeated here.

The planned needle tip position may reflect a planned needle insertion point and/or a planned needle tract of the ablation needle. In some embodiments, the current image may be registered with the planning image, and the deformation field calculated to determine the difference between the actual ablation and the planning ablation. In some embodiments, the planning image registration may be mapped into the current image. In some embodiments, the current image registration may be mapped into the planning image. For example, the processing device 130 may map the registration of each organ in the planning image to the current image, determine correspondence between each organ of the current image and each organ of the planning image, so as to calculate differences in actual needle tip position and planning needle tip position, actual needle tract and planning needle tract, actual ablation region and planning ablation region, etc., based thereon.

Step 330, guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position according to the registration result. In some embodiments, step 330 may be performed by processing device 130, control device 910, or adjustment module 230.

In some embodiments, a positional difference between the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position may be determined from the registration result, and the ablation needle is guided to be adjusted based on the positional difference. In some embodiments, the positional differences may include distance differences and/or angle differences, etc. In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be directed to adjust when a difference in position between the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position does not meet a preset condition (e.g., a distance between the two is less than a preset distance value). For example only, the processing device 130 may calculate a difference in position between the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position based on the coordinates of the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position in the same coordinate system (e.g., a coordinate system established based on the end effector 120), control the end effector 120 based on the difference in position to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle such that the actual needle tip position coincides or nearly coincides with the planned needle tip position (e.g., the difference in position is less than a preset distance value, etc.).

In some embodiments, the actual needle path of the ablation needle may be determined based on the actual needle tip position and the marking and/or locating point positions. In some embodiments, the actual needle path may be determined based on the actual needle tip position and ablation needle parameters such as length of the ablation needle, marking structure, etc. For example, the processing device 130 may determine the actual needle track based on the actual needle tip position and the position of the raised structures. In some embodiments, the actual needle track may be determined by image recognition, statistics, or the like. For example, the processing device 130 may identify an ablation needle mask in the current image, and determine an actual needle track based on the ablation needle mask and its actual needle tip position. In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be guided to adjust based on the angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track. In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be directed to adjust when the angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track is greater than a preset angle threshold. For example, the processing device 130 may control the end effector 120 to rotate based on the angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track to direct adjustment of the ablation needle to coincide or nearly coincide with the corresponding planned needle track (e.g., the angle is less than a preset angle threshold, etc.).

For example only, as shown in fig. 7, for example, after an ablation needle is inserted into a target object, the processing device 130 may perform needle tract segmentation and marker point positioning based on the current image to determine an actual needle tract (e.g., as shown by solid bars in the figure), while mapping the planned needle tract registration determined based on the planned image to the current image as a guide needle tract (e.g., as shown by dashed bars in the figure). Further, the processing device 130 may calculate an angle θ between the planned needle track (or the guided needle track) and the actual needle track, and if θ is smaller than a preset angle threshold, continue performing the ablation operation (e.g., continue puncturing or performing ablation); if θ is greater than a preset angle threshold and the distance between the current actual needle tip position and the actual needle insertion point is less than a preset value (e.g., 0.3cm, 0.5cm, 0.8cm, 1cm, 2cm, etc.), i.e., the actual needle tract entry distance is less than the preset value, stopping puncturing and controlling the end effector 120 to drive the ablation needle to move such that the actual needle tract is biased toward the planned needle tract (e.g., controlling the end effector 120 to rotate by a corresponding angle (e.g., θ, or an angle less than θ) such that the actual needle tract of the ablation needle is biased toward the planned needle tract); if θ is greater than the preset angle threshold and the distance between the current actual needle tip position and the actual needle insertion point is greater than the preset value, the puncturing is stopped, the end effector 120 is controlled to drive the ablation needle to retract a certain distance and then rotate so that the actual needle tract is deflected towards the planned needle tract (for example, the end effector 120 can drive the ablation needle to move away from the ablation region by retracting in the direction opposite to the needle insertion direction so that the distance between the actual needle tip position and the actual needle insertion point is smaller than the preset value, then rotate by a corresponding angle (for example, θ or an angle smaller than θ) so that the actual needle tract of the ablation needle is deflected towards the planned needle tract, and then drive the ablation needle again to continue puncturing). In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be guided to adjust according to its real-time penetration path (e.g., actual needle track at different times). The real-time puncture path of the ablation needle is monitored, the ablation needle is guided and adjusted based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position, the actual puncture condition of the ablation needle can be known in real time, when the ablation needle does not enter the body too deeply, the needle track deviation is found in time and adjusted, and the damage to the human body is reduced.

In some embodiments, the actual ablation region may be monitored in real time based on the current image. For example, the actual ablation zone in the current image may be identified by an image recognition method. In some embodiments, the actual ablation zone may be monitored in real time by a sensor. Taking Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) as an example, a plurality of temperature sensors can be arranged on a plurality of electrodes of the umbrella-shaped ablation needle according to the diameter gradient positions relative to the umbrella shaft direction, and the processing device 130 can monitor the temperature information of each sensor in real time and draw an isothermal curve so as to obtain an actual ablation area. In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be guided to adjust based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone. In some embodiments, the ablation needle may be guided to adjust based on differences (e.g., area differences, volume differences, position differences, etc.) between the actual ablation region and the planned ablation region. In some embodiments, the processing device 130 may register an actual ablation region corresponding to the current actual needle track into the planning image of the segmented lesion, compare the difference between the actual ablation region and the corresponding planning ablation region, and control the end effector 120 to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle based on the difference.

By way of example only, as shown in fig. 8 (c), the area a surrounded by the lighter-colored dashed line bar is the actual ablation area corresponding to the current actual needle track, and the area surrounded by the darker-colored dashed line bar is the first planned ablation area corresponding thereto, and since the area a is smaller than the corresponding first planned ablation area, the ablation time of the current actual needle track can be prolonged according to the difference so as to expand the actual ablation area thereof to approach the first planned ablation area.

In some embodiments, ablation parameters (e.g., penetration depth, ablation needle length, ablation temperature, ablation time, heating power, etc.) of other ablation needles may be adjusted based on the actual ablation region of one or more of the ablation needles. In some embodiments, the other ablation needles may be of the same or different type than the one or more ablation needles. In some embodiments, the other ablation needle and the one or more ablation needles may each be an ablation needle used in the current ablation procedure, wherein different ablation needles correspond to different needle tracks. For example, the processing device 130 may adjust ablation parameters of other planned needle tracks corresponding to the ablation needle based on the difference between the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone of the current ablation needle.

For example only, as shown in fig. 8 (d), region b is the actual ablation region of the current ablation needle, and there is a region c of dark line display that is not ablated compared to the first planned ablation region corresponding to the current ablation needle. The processing device 130 may evaluate whether the sum of the planned ablation regions (e.g., the second planned ablation region and the third planned ablation region) corresponding to the subsequent planned needle track (e.g., the second planned needle track, the third planned needle track) can cover the non-ablated region c, and if not, adjust on the planned image in time. For example, the second ablation needle (corresponding to the second planned needle track, the second planned ablation zone) selects an ablation needle with a longer length, or increases the ablation time of the third ablation needle (corresponding to the third planned needle track, the third planned ablation zone), or the like.

After the adjustment and guidance, when the actual needle tip position of the ablation needle reaches the preset ablation position, starting the ablation equipment, and executing ablation according to the preset ablation parameters. However, the theoretically calculated ablation area (i.e. the planned ablation area) is in and out of the actual scene, so that the actual ablation area may deviate, and the efficiency and accuracy of the ablation operation can be improved by monitoring the actual ablation area in real time and guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual ablation area and the planned ablation area.

In some embodiments, the cause of the discrepancy between the actual ablation and the planned ablation may be analyzed based on the registration results in order to optimize the performance of the subsequent ablation operation.

It will be appreciated that the above-described manner of differential comparison between the relevant information regarding the actual ablation (e.g., actual needle tract, actual ablation zone) and the relevant information of the planned ablation (e.g., planned needle tract, planned ablation zone) is merely by way of example, and in some embodiments, differential comparison may be achieved by registration mapping the relevant information of the actual ablation to the planned image (e.g., actual needle tract registration to the planned image), or by registration mapping the relevant information of the planned ablation to the current image (e.g., planned ablation zone registration to the current image), which is not limiting in this specification.

It should be noted that the above description of the process 300 is for purposes of example and illustration only and is not intended to limit the scope of applicability of the present disclosure. Various modifications and changes to flow 300 will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the present description. However, such modifications and variations are still within the scope of the present description. For example, in flow 300, a current image of the target object may be acquired in real-time to monitor the actual ablation zone, etc. in real-time.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary determination of a planned ablation scheme according to some embodiments of the present description.

In some embodiments, segmentation of organs, lesions, etc. may be performed based on a planning image of a target object prior to execution of an ablation procedure, and three-dimensional reconstruction and ablation region simulation may be performed according to the segmentation result to plan a planned ablation plan (e.g., plan needle tract, planned needle tip position, planned ablation region, etc.) for the target object. In some embodiments, the procedure 400 may be performed by the ablation guidance system 100 (e.g., the processing device 130), the ablation guidance system 200 (e.g., the ablation plan module), or the ablation guidance system 900 (e.g., the control device 910). For example, the flow 400 may be stored in a storage device (e.g., storage device 150, a memory unit of a system) in the form of a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, may implement the flow 400. In some embodiments, the process 400 may include the following steps.

Step 410, segmenting the planning image of the target object.

In some embodiments, the segmentation may include organ segmentation and/or lesion segmentation. In some embodiments, segmentation of the planning image may be achieved using a preset algorithm.

In some embodiments, organs such as liver, kidney, lung, blood vessels, skin, etc. in the planning image may be segmented using the trained organ segmentation model. For example, the input of the organ segmentation model may be an initial planning image and the output may select images of the individual organs for the circle. In some embodiments, organ segmentation results may be adjusted based on user feedback. For example, processing device 130 may send the organ segmentation results to terminal device 140 for output to a user who may manually edit/modify the segmentation error or missing organ locations. For another example, training parameters of the organ segmentation model may be adjusted based on historical edit data of the organ segmentation results by the user. In some embodiments, organ segmentation may be performed manually by a user. For example, a user may manually delineate areas corresponding to individual organ tissues in a planning image.

In some embodiments, lesion segmentation may be performed using a trained lesion recognition model based on the planning image. For example, the planning image may be input into a trained lesion recognition model to obtain a lesion area in the planning image output by the lesion recognition model. In some embodiments, lesion segmentation results may be manually or automatically adjusted. For example, a user may manually modify/edit a lesion area in a planning image. As another example, training parameters of the lesion recognition model may be adjusted based on historical edit data or feedback data of the user to adjust the lesion segmentation results. In some embodiments, the lesion areas in the planning image may be manually edited by a user.

In some embodiments, a three-dimensional reconstruction may be performed based on the segmentation results to obtain a three-dimensional stereo morphology of the organ of the respective target object.

At step 420, a planned needle path and a planned ablation zone are determined.

In step 421, a planned needle track can be determined. In some embodiments, a planned needle tip position (i.e., a planned needle insertion point) and a target point of the ablation needle may be determined, and a planned needle tract is determined based on the target point and the planned needle tip position. The target point may reflect the endpoint of penetration of the ablation needle. In some embodiments, the target point may be determined based on the lesion area. For example, the center of volume of the focal region may be targeted, or the center of gravity of the focal region may be targeted. In some embodiments, the planned needle tip position may be determined based on the target point. For example, an extra-corporeal point where the distance from the target point meets the length of the ablation needle may be determined as the planned needle tip position. For another example, an in vitro point having a distance to the target point less than a preset distance value may be determined as the planned needle point position. In some embodiments, a target point may correspond to one or more needle insertion points. One needle insertion point is connected with one target point to form a corresponding needle track.

In some embodiments, the planned needle tract may be determined based on the organ segmentation results. In some embodiments, the risk area may be determined based on the organ segmentation result, and the planned needle tract may be determined from the risk area. For example, a minimum safe distance s may be set, a region within the minimum safe distance is a dangerous region, a needle track is determined based on a target point and one of the needle entry points, when a distance d between an organ voxel point and the needle track is smaller than s, it is determined that the current needle track (i.e., a puncture path) does not satisfy the safety requirement, and when the distance d is larger than s, the needle track is determined as a planned needle track. For another example, the region where the thin blood vessel is located may be determined as a dangerous region according to the organ segmentation result, and the planned needle tract may be determined according to the dangerous region. In some embodiments, the planned needle tract may be determined based on the organ segmentation result and a preset constraint (e.g., shortest puncture distance, etc.).

In step 423, a planned ablation zone may be determined. In some embodiments, the planned ablation region corresponding to the planned needle tract may be determined by ablation region simulation. In some embodiments, the simulation may be implemented in any reasonably feasible manner, for example, using finite element simulation analysis software such as ANSYS, COMSOL, etc., which is not limited in this specification. For example, parameters such as the segmented organ, focal tissue, a determined planning needle path, an ablation needle type, an ablation temperature, an ablation time and the like can be input into simulation software to obtain a planning ablation region corresponding to the planning needle path. By way of example only, a basic thermal field dose-effect relationship may be established by Pennes biological heat transfer equation, and fitted by finite element simulation analysis software (e.g., ANSYS, COMSOL) based on data results obtained from ablation experiments performed on the phantom at different powers to obtain specific absorption rate (Specific Absorption Rate, SAR) during ablation. Further, the relation between the thermal field and time, space and power can be obtained through the specific absorption rate and the basic thermal field effect relation, and an equation of the thermal field is established; the spatial specific absorption rate matrix is obtained through encoding, and the output result of the specific absorption rate matrix is determined as a planned ablation area of a corresponding ablation needle (or a planned needle track).

At step 430, a planned ablation plan is determined.

In some embodiments, a planned ablation plan for the target object may be determined based on the planned needle tract and its corresponding planned ablation region.

In some embodiments, a planned ablation range may be determined based on the lesion area. The ablation range reflects the total ablation volume that the ablation procedure needs to satisfy in hopes of eliminating the diseased tissue of the target object as completely as possible. In some embodiments, the focal region and its extension may be determined to be the planned ablation range. For example, as shown in fig. 8 (a), the volume boundary of the lesion area may be extended outward by a certain range (e.g., 5mm, 3mm, 7mm, etc.) to obtain an extended area, and the extended area and the lesion area may be determined as a planned ablation range as a whole. In some embodiments, the focal region may be determined as a planned ablation range.

In some embodiments, steps 421 and 423 may be repeated based on the determined planned ablation range until the sum of the planned ablation areas corresponding to all of the planned needle tracks covers the planned ablation range. In some embodiments, the planned needle tip position, the planned needle path, the planned ablation region, etc. corresponding to the planned ablation range covered by the sum of the planned ablation regions may be determined as the final planned ablation plan. As shown in fig. 8 (a) and (b), by way of example only, (a) represents a planned ablation range, and (b) represents 3 planned needle tracks determined and planned ablation areas to which the 3 planned needle tracks respectively correspond, wherein different elliptical areas respectively correspond to the planned ablation areas of the different planned needle tracks.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance method according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the process 500 may be performed by the ablation guidance system 100 (e.g., the processing device 130), the ablation guidance system 200, or the ablation guidance system 900 (e.g., the control device 910). For example, the flow 500 may be stored in a storage device (e.g., storage device 150, a memory unit of a system) in the form of a program or instructions that when executed by a processor, may implement the flow 500. As shown in fig. 5, in some embodiments, the flow 500 may include the following steps.

In step 510, the orientation of the end effector may be adjusted.

In some embodiments, the imaging device (e.g., imaging device 110) and the end effector (e.g., end effector 120) may be spatially coordinate system transformed prior to performing an ablation operation on the target object. When a patient scans, the imaging device (for example, the imaging device 110) has a coordinate system, the image pixels have a coordinate relative to the imaging device, after the ablation scheme is determined, if the ablation scheme is executed by the end execution device, the mechanical arm space motion of the end execution device has a coordinate system and a coordinate of the end execution device, and the coordinate system of the imaging device and the coordinate system of the end execution device can be unified through space coordinate system conversion so as to accurately control the ablation needle.

In some embodiments, the spatial coordinate system conversion may be achieved by spatial matrix transformation. By way of example only, a metallic marker may be attached to a phantom, scanned in a scan region of the imaging device 110, coordinates of the metallic marker in the imaging device 110 are obtained based on the scan result, and coordinates of the metallic marker with respect to the end effector 120 are determined, and a transformation relationship between the two coordinate systems is obtained by spatial matrix transformation. After the spatial coordinate system conversion is completed, a specified model of ablation instrument (e.g., an ablation needle) may be secured in the robotic arm of the end effector according to a planned ablation protocol.

In some embodiments, the orientation of the end effector may be adjusted to position and guide the ablation instrument. For example, the target point and the planned needle point position of the planned ablation plan may be converted to the coordinate system of the end effector 120 according to the conversion relationship between the coordinate system corresponding to the imaging device 110 and the coordinate system corresponding to the end effector 120, and then the ablation needle is controlled to reach the planned needle point position by the end effector 120 and the needle insertion direction is adjusted to be the same as the planned needle insertion direction (e.g., the same direction as the planned needle tract).

In step 520, the end effector may be controlled to perform ablation punctures according to the planned needle track.

In some embodiments, after the ablation needle is controlled to reach the planned needle point position, the end effector may be controlled to perform ablation penetration according to the corresponding planned needle path, e.g., the end effector 120 may be controlled to grip the ablation needle for forward advancement such that the ablation needle penetrates from the planned needle point position into a target point within the target object according to the planned needle path.

In step 530, a current image of the target object may be acquired.

In some embodiments, it may be determined whether the actual needle track matches the planned needle track based on the current image, and when so, step 540 is performed to continue the ablation operation; otherwise, step 510 is entered to adjust the orientation of the end effector to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle. For example only, an actual needle track may be determined according to the current image of the target object, the planned needle track determined based on the planned image is registered and mapped to the current image as a guiding needle track, if the included angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track is greater than a preset angle threshold, puncturing is stopped, and step 510 is entered, and the orientation of the end effector 120 is adjusted to drive the current ablation needle to deflect the corresponding actual needle track towards the planned needle track; if the angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track is less than the preset angle threshold, step 540 is entered, and the ablation operation is continued, for example, the penetration is continued until the target point is reached. In some embodiments, the current image during the ablation penetration process may be acquired in real time to monitor in real time whether the actual needle track matches the planned needle track until the target point is reached according to the planned needle track. Further details regarding adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual needle track guidance may be found in fig. 3 and its associated description, which are not repeated here.

In step 540, the actual ablation zone may be monitored in real time while continuing the ablation procedure.

In some embodiments, the actual ablation zone may be monitored in real time as the ablation needle reaches the target point. In some embodiments, the actual ablation region may be monitored in real time based on the current image. In some embodiments, the actual ablation zone may be monitored in real time by a sensor.

Further, whether the actual ablation area matches the planned ablation area may be determined based on the real-time monitoring data, and when the actual ablation area matches the planned ablation area, step 550 is performed, and the ablation operation is continued until the single ablation is completed; otherwise, step 510 is performed to adjust the orientation of the end effector to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle. Wherein, the single ablation is finished, which means that the single operation of puncture and ablation is finished. For more details of adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone guidance, see fig. 3 and its associated description, which are not repeated here.

After the single ablation is finished, whether the focus area is completely ablated can be judged, if yes, the ablation operation is finished, otherwise, based on other planning needle tracks in the planning ablation scheme, the operation of puncturing and ablating is executed again according to the steps 510-550 until the focus area is completely ablated.

In some embodiments, it may be determined whether the focal region is completely ablated based on the actual ablation region and the planned ablation range. For example, when the sum of the actual ablation areas covers the planned ablation range, it is determined that the focal area is completely ablated, otherwise, it is considered that the ablation is not complete. In some embodiments, it may be determined whether the focal region is completely ablated based on the scanned image. For example, a scanned image of the target object after the single ablation is finished can be acquired in real time, a focus area in the scanned image is determined through a focus identification model, if a focus area similar to that in the plan image exists, the incomplete ablation is considered, and if the focus area does not exist, the complete ablation is considered. For another example, the actual ablation area of the scanned image may be identified according to the image features (e.g., the ablation area corresponding to cold ablation may have highlighted ice crystals, the ablation area corresponding to hot ablation may have low density shadow areas), and the actual ablation area corresponding to the scanned image after the ablation operation may be registered with the scanned image before the ablation operation, so as to determine whether the actual ablation range completely covers the lesion and the surrounding infiltration area thereof (e.g., 5mm around the lesion area).

It should be noted that the above description of the flows 400 and/or 500 is for illustration and description only, and is not intended to limit the scope of applicability of the present disclosure. Various modifications and changes to the processes 400 and/or 500 may be made by those skilled in the art under the guidance of this specification. However, such modifications and variations are still within the scope of the present description.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary ablation guidance system according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 9, in some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 900 may include a control device 910, a display device 920, and an end effector device 930.

In some embodiments, control device 910 may include one or more processors and memory including operational instructions adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform the ablation guidance method (e.g., procedure 300, procedure 400, and procedure 500). In some embodiments, the control device 910 may be implemented by the processing device 130.

In some embodiments, control device 910 may determine the actual needle tip position based on the current image displayed by display device 920; the current image and the corresponding planning image are registered, and according to the registration result, the end execution device 930 is controlled to guide and adjust the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and the planning needle tip position. In some embodiments, the control device 910 may identify a marker point in the current image based on a marker structure on the ablation needle; the actual needle tip position is determined based on the marker points. In some embodiments, the control device 910 may determine an actual needle path of the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position, and direct adjustment of the ablation needle based on an angle between the actual needle path and the planned needle path. In some embodiments, the control device 910 may monitor the actual ablation zone in real-time based on the current image and control the end effector 930 to guide the adjustment of the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone. Further details regarding controlling the end effector to guide adjustment of the ablation needle may be found in fig. 3 and/or 5 and their associated description, and are not repeated herein.

In some embodiments, the control device 910 may also be used to determine a planned ablation plan. For example, the control device 910 may perform lesion segmentation and organ segmentation based on the planning image, perform ablation region simulation based on the segmentation result, and determine a planning needle track, thereby determining a planning ablation scheme. For more details on determining the planned ablation scheme, reference may be made to fig. 4 and its associated description, which is not repeated here.

In some embodiments, the end effector 930 may send feedback signals to the control device 910 for ablation parameters (e.g., ablation temperature, ablation time, etc.), actual ablation conditions (e.g., actual ablation zone), etc. during the ablation operation. In some embodiments, end effector 930 may be of the same or similar structure as end effector 120. In some embodiments, end effector 930 may be implemented by end effector 120.

In some embodiments, end effector 930 may include a motion control module (e.g., motion control module 931) and an ablation module (e.g., ablation module 933). In some embodiments, a motion control module may be used to position and guide the ablation needle. For example, the motion control module may control the synchronous operation of the ablation needle through rotation, translation, clamping, pushing/withdrawing, etc. In some embodiments, the ablation module may be used to ablate the focal region with a thermal/cold effect and/or monitor the actual ablation region. For example, the ablation module may monitor the actual ablation zone by temperature/impedance. As another example, the ablation module may adjust the actual ablation region of the ablation needle by one or more of a ramp up/down control, a time control, a power control, and the like.

In some embodiments, the ablation guidance system 900 may also include an imaging device 110. In some embodiments, the imaging device 110 may transmit data of an image (e.g., a current image, a planning image), patient information, etc. to the control device 910, and the control device 910 may send control signals (e.g., signals that control the imaging device 110 to acquire the current image and/or the planning image) to the imaging device 110. In some embodiments, the imaging device 110 may transmit an image (e.g., a current image, a planned image) to the display device 920, and the control device 910 may obtain the corresponding image from the display device 920.

It should be noted that the above description of the ablation guide system 900 and its modules is for descriptive convenience only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the scope of the illustrated embodiments. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, given the principles of the system, various modules may be combined arbitrarily or a subsystem may be constructed in connection with other modules without departing from such principles. Such variations are within the scope of the present description.

By way of example only, as shown in fig. 10, after the spatial coordinate system conversion is completed, a specified model of ablation needle may be fixed in the robotic arm of the end effector 930 according to a planned ablation protocol; when the end execution device 930 executes ablation puncture, the movement control module 931 executes operations such as translation, rotation and the like to adjust the pose of the mechanical arm according to the position of the planned needle point and the target point so as to drive the ablation needle to move to the position of the planned needle point; further, the control device 910 may send a control signal to the imaging device 110, obtain a current image, determine an actual needle tip position based on the current image, register the current image with a corresponding planning image, so as to calculate a position difference between the actual needle tip position and the planning needle tip position, execute ablation puncture when the position difference meets a preset condition, and if not, send a control signal to the end execution device 930, and guide adjustment of the ablation needle. The end execution device 930 advances a specified distance to complete ablation penetration by the motion control module 931 according to the planned needle track; after the lancing process is complete, the end effector 930 sends a feedback signal to the control device 910; during the puncturing process, the control device 910 determines in real time whether the included angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track is greater than a preset angle threshold based on the current image, and if so, sends a control signal to the end effector 930 and guides the adjustment of the ablation needle. When the ablation needle reaches a target point and starts to perform ablation, the end execution device 930 receives ablation parameter information (such as heating power, ablation time and the like) determined by the control device 910, transmits the information to the ablation module 933 for heating ablation, and a sensor on the ablation module 933 collects related signals such as temperature, impedance and the like, feeds back the signals to the control device 910, reconstructs an actual ablation area through a functional module of ablation simulation, displays the reconstructed actual ablation area on a current image after registering and fusing the planned ablation area, can visually observe the formation and growth of the actual ablation area, and compares the actual ablation area with the planned ablation area in real time. After the ablation operation is completed, in response to an ablation end instruction sent by a user or an instruction that the remaining ablation time is 0 under the power designated by the ablation module 933, stopping ablation, performing difference comparison on the actual ablation area, quantitatively calculating the overlapping condition of the actual ablation area and the planned ablation area, and adjusting the remaining planned needle tracks in the planned ablation scheme (for example, adjusting parameters such as the ablation time, the heating power and the like) or performing manual interaction on the remaining non-ablated area based on the comparison result.

It will be appreciated that fig. 10 and its associated description are by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present description. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present description. However, such changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present specification.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, through an ablation scheme planning and an ablation guiding method and/or system, (1) performing spatial coordinate system conversion on an end execution device and an imaging device, accuracy of a needle track orientation before an ablation needle is inserted can be improved, and personal injury caused by adjustment of an actual needle track due to larger deviation compared with a planned needle track in an ablation operation is reduced; (2) Based on the difference between the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position and/or the difference between the actual needle path and the planned needle path, the ablation needle is guided and adjusted, so that the ablation accuracy can be improved, and the complications and the lesion tumor recurrence caused by the ablation error can be reduced; (3) The actual ablation area is monitored in real time, and compared with the planned ablation area for verification, so that a user is more intuitively felt, and meanwhile, a real-time adjustment scheme of the planned needle track is provided, and the fault tolerance of the ablation operation is improved; (4) The actual needle point position is determined based on the mark point, so that the influence of poor developing effect in an image on the identification result due to the fact that the needle point is thinner can be avoided, and the accuracy of the determined actual needle point position can be improved.

While the basic concepts have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing detailed disclosure is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. Although not explicitly described herein, various modifications, improvements, and adaptations to the present disclosure may occur to one skilled in the art. Such modifications, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested within this specification, and therefore, such modifications, improvements, and modifications are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Meanwhile, the specification uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the specification. Reference to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and/or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is associated with at least one embodiment of the present description. Thus, it should be emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in various positions in this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of the present description may be combined as suitable.

Furthermore, the order in which the elements and sequences are processed, the use of numerical letters, or other designations in the description are not intended to limit the order in which the processes and methods of the description are performed unless explicitly recited in the claims. While certain presently useful inventive embodiments have been discussed in the foregoing disclosure, by way of various examples, it is to be understood that such details are merely illustrative and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, while the system components described above may be implemented by hardware devices, they may also be implemented solely by software solutions, such as installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

Likewise, it should be noted that in order to simplify the presentation disclosed in this specification and thereby aid in understanding one or more inventive embodiments, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. This method of disclosure, however, is not intended to imply that more features than are presented in the claims are required for the present description. Indeed, less than all of the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

In some embodiments, numbers describing the components, number of attributes are used, it being understood that such numbers being used in the description of embodiments are modified in some examples by the modifier "about," approximately, "or" substantially. Unless otherwise indicated, "about," "approximately," or "substantially" indicate that the number allows for a 20% variation. Accordingly, in some embodiments, numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and employ a method for preserving the general number of digits. Although the numerical ranges and parameters set forth herein are approximations that may be employed in some embodiments to confirm the breadth of the range, in particular embodiments, the setting of such numerical values is as precise as possible.

Each patent, patent application publication, and other material, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, etc., referred to in this specification is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Except for application history documents that are inconsistent or conflicting with the content of this specification, documents that are currently or later attached to this specification in which the broadest scope of the claims to this specification is limited are also. It is noted that, if the description, definition, and/or use of a term in an attached material in this specification does not conform to or conflict with what is described in this specification, the description, definition, and/or use of the term in this specification controls.

Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of this specification. Other variations are possible within the scope of this description. Thus, by way of example, and not limitation, alternative configurations of embodiments of the present specification may be considered as consistent with the teachings of the present specification. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present specification are not limited to only the embodiments explicitly described and depicted in the present specification.

Claims

1. An ablation guiding method, the method comprising:

Determining an actual needle tip position based on the current image;

registering the current image with a corresponding planning image, wherein the planning image reflects the planning needle point position;

according to the registration result, guiding and adjusting an ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position and the planned needle tip position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an actual needle tip position based on the current image comprises:

identifying a marker point in the current image based on a marker structure on the ablation needle;

the actual needle tip position is determined based on the marker point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the marking structure is a raised structure and the marking point is located at an intersection of a profile cross-section where a highest point of the raised structure is located and a central symmetry axis of the ablation needle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an actual needle path of the ablation needle based on the actual needle tip position;

guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the included angle between the actual needle track and the planned needle track.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

Based on the current image, monitoring an actual ablation area in real time;

guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the guiding the adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual ablation zone and the planned ablation zone comprises:

based on the actual ablation area of one or more of the ablation needles, the ablation parameters of the other ablation needles are adjusted.

7. An ablation guidance system, the system comprising:

a display device;

an end effector;

a control device comprising one or more processors and a memory, the memory comprising operational instructions adapted to cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

determining an actual needle tip position based on a current image displayed by the display device;

according to the registration result, the end execution device is controlled to guide and adjust an ablation needle based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the ablation needle includes at least one raised structure thereon.

9. An ablation guidance system, the system comprising:

the needle point positioning module is used for determining the actual needle point position based on the current image;

the registration module is used for registering the current image and the corresponding plan image, and the plan image reflects the position of the plan needle point;

and the adjusting module is used for guiding and adjusting the ablation needle based on the actual needle point position and the planned needle point position according to the registration result.

10. An ablation guide device, the device comprising:

at least one storage medium storing computer instructions;

at least one processor executing the computer instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1-6.

11. A computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions which, when read by a computer, perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.