METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSISTING PERCUTANEOUS COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY-GUIDED SURGICAL ACTIVITY

摘要

A method and an apparatus for assisting percutaneouscomputed tomography-guided surgical activity inside a hu-manor animal body, such as withdrawal of body tissue orbody liquid sample, withdrawal of excess body liquid, inser-tionor injection, said method for determining insertion depth,transversal insertion angle and craniocaudal insertion anglefor a needle-type surgical instrument to be inserted into thehuman or animal body from an insertion entry point on a skinsurface of said body to a target inside said body. From a firsttomography image coordinate values of said entry point aredetermined, and from said first or a second tomography imagecoordinate values of said target point are determined. Basedon said coordinate values of said insertion depth, transversalinsertion angle and craniocaudal insertion angle are calcu-lated.Said calculated values are applied to an instrumentinsertion guiding apparatus positioned adjacent said body inno physical contact therewith, said apparatus having a laserwhich provides a laser beam, manipulating adjustment meanson said apparatus to let the laser beam assume the values oftransversal insertion angle and craniocaudal insertion angleand to let the laser beam point at the entry point. The instru-mentwith a needle pointed end thereof is located at said entrypoint and a longitudinal axis of the instrument is aligned withsaid laser beam, the aligning being made by letting a distalend face of said instrument be pointed at by said laser beam.