A novel instrument guidance device for enhanced surgical navigation

Objectives: The key to an ultrasound-guided system is to accurately determine the spatial position of the surgical instrument. The size and shape of the optical positioning target in the optical positioning device can restrict the doctor's hand movements. Additionally, the use of a binocular camera occupies valuable operating room space. To reduce both the space occupation and the impact on surgical procedures, this paper presents a device designed to provide enhanced navigation information to assist the surgeon. Methods: The proposed device is equipped with an angle sensor and a button. The angle sensor measures the relative angle between the puncture device and the ultrasound probe in real time. The button assists the surgeon in measuring the depth of the surgical target before performing the puncture. Furthermore, we propose a filtering algorithm to reduce noise in the angle sensor's output signal. The device's performance was evaluated using an ultrasound instrument and an experimental setup for data collection and testing. Results: The filtering algorithm effectively reduced noise in the angular data. After filtering, the Signal Smoothness decreased from 0.036989 to 0.0010376, the Coefficient of Variation decreased from 0.00046682 to 0.0004323, and the Count of Local Extrema decreased from 251 to 135. Additionally, we collected and compared the coordinates of the guide line endpoints at the tip of the puncture needle and found an average point-to-point error of 3.53 pixel. Conclusions: The developed guidance device and filtering algorithm provide valuable navigation data, supporting the surgeon's operations.