Instrument port with integrated imaging system

Inventors

Del Nido, Pedro J. • Vasilyev, Nikolay V.

Assignees

Boston Childrens Hospital

Abstract

An instrument port for introducing an instrument into a surgical site includes a port body, a bulb disposed on the distal end of the port body, and a channel extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the instrument port. The channel includes an instrument channel defined in the port body and a bulb channel defined in the bulb. An imaging system is disposed at or near the distal end of the instrument port. The imaging system is fluidically isolated from the surgical site.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to an instrument port for minimally invasive, image-guided surgery in which an integrated distal imaging system is disposed at the distal end of the port. The port includes a port body with an instrument channel extending from a proximal end to a distal end, and a bulb disposed at the distal end of the port body. The bulb comprises transparent solid material that defines a distal surface of the bulb and includes a bulb channel extending from a proximal side to a distal side, aligned with the instrument channel to receive the instrument.

The invention further provides an imaging system comprising a camera and an illumination source disposed in a continuous hollow region defined in the solid material of the bulb. The illumination source is configured to generate light having a first wavelength, and the bulb is at least partially optically transparent to the first wavelength so that the camera can view along an unobstructed, optically-clear viewing path. The camera and the illumination source are each arranged in the continuous hollow region and are spaced apart from the distal end of the port body, with the transparent solid material arranged to laterally surround the continuous hollow region.

A key aspect is that the imaging system is fluidically isolated from the surgical site so that blood and surgical debris are separated from the integrated camera and illumination source. Optical and structural relationships are used to mitigate image degradation, including using a relative angle between the distal face of the bulb and a direction of illumination to reduce internal reflections and positioning the camera and illumination source to compensate for image distortion caused by refraction at an interface between the bulb channel and the transparent solid material. Embodiments address camera and illumination placement within the bulb, optional light guides coupled to external sources, and sealing features, and the document describes clinical use including patent foramen ovale closure with placement based on acquired images.

Claims Coverage

The document provides coverage centered on a single independent claim that defines an instrument port with a transparent bulb and a distal integrated imaging system (camera plus illumination source) disposed within a continuous hollow region in solid bulb material. The independent claim specifies four primary inventive aspects: channel alignment for instrument introduction, optical transparency for imaging through the bulb, fluidic isolation of the imaging system from the surgical site, and optical/positional relationships to reduce internal reflections and compensate for refraction-driven image distortion.

Overall, the independent claim covers an instrument port that introduces an instrument through aligned instrument and bulb channels while imaging is performed through an at least partially optically transparent bulb. The imaging system is disposed in a continuous hollow region within transparent solid bulb material, is fluidically isolated from the surgical site, and uses specified relative illumination angle and camera/illumination placement to reduce internal reflections and compensate for refraction-based image distortion.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications