Patient-specific three-dimensional geometric segmentation and model development for use with image-guided robotics systems for minimally invasive spine surgery.

摘要

In order to combat the rising healthcare costs associated with spine injuries and back pain in the aging population, image-guided robotic systems are increasingly becoming important tools for surgeons. Robotic systems used in minimally invasive spine surgery have the potential to reduce blood loss, time in the surgical suite, length of hospital stay, recovery time, number of complications, and overall costs. While substantial progress has been made in the field of minimally invasive surgery, specialized tools have not yet been integrated into the systems.;Development of a fully functional image-guided surgical robotics system necessitates three functions. First, patient-specific geometric models of the spine, including kinematic constraints, must be developed and registered with a surgical robot. Next, a three-dimensional visual display delineating the patient anatomy and the location of robotic instruments must be generated. Finally, validation is required to demonstrate that the robot can place markers on the spine within a specified tolerance.;The work described herein consists of the following major milestones to establish the first function described above: (1) comparison of active contour methods as they relate to the segmentation and classification of the dense cortical bone shell of a human phalanx; (2) mathematical segmentation and computation of three-dimensional model of vertebra template geometry using the Visible Human database; (3) reconstruction of multi-segment vertebrae via registration of the Visible Human template with patient-specific computed tomography images; and (4) analysis of the accuracy and reproducibility of patient-specific geometry segmentation and registration.