Method and apparatus for robotic surgery

Keywords: Patents, Robots, Surgery

Applicant: Integrated Surgical Systems SA, France and Fischer-Schnappauf-Stockmann GbR, GermanyPatent number: US6,167,292Publication date: 26 December 2000Title: Registering method and apparatus for robotic surgery, and a registering device constituting an application thereof

The invention lies in the field of image-guided robotic surgery. The invention relates to a device serving to bring into register the anatomic structures of a patient and a robotic system for providing assistance in surgery under the guidance of preoperative images such as conventional radiological examinations, CT scanner examinations, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging(NMRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The device is made up of energy emitter/receivers, imaging markers, and a signal processing unit. The markers are placed on the patient in a predetermined, three-dimensional disposition in the vicinity of the anatomic region of interest on a portion of the body that provides positioning that is stable over time (e.g. a bone structure) and once imaged are substituted by the energy emitter/receivers. The robot is also fitted with energy emitter/receivers. Since the disposition in three dimensions of the emitter/receivers is the same as that of the markers,the anatomic structures can be located by the robot by bringing the co-ordinates of the markers in the frame of reference of the image in to register with the emitter/receivers in the frame of reference of the robot. The invention therefore serves to bring equipment for robotic surgery in to register in a manner that is simple, safe and reliable.