# US 11,896,316 B2 · Systems and methods for generating anatomic tree structures using backward pathway growth > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,896,316 B2 - Document ID: US11896316B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/536,591 - Filed: 2019-08-09 - Published: 2020-02-27 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-23 - Assignees: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. - Applicants: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. - Inventors: Pechin Chien Pau Lo; Jun Ma; Tao Zhao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11896316B2 ## CPC - A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis - A61B 34/25: {User interfaces for surgical systems} - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - A61B 34/37: Leader-follower robots (A61B34/35 takes precedence) - A61B 90/37: {Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation} - G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection} - G06T 7/10: Segmentation; Edge detection (motion-based segmentation G06T7/215) - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/187: involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling - G06T 17/00: Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics - A61B 2034/105: {Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones} - A61B 2034/2051: {Electromagnetic tracking systems} - A61B 2034/2059: {Mechanical position encoders} - A61B 2034/2061: {using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings} - A61B 2034/301: {for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes} - A61B 2090/3735: {Optical coherence tomography [OCT]} - A61B 2090/374: {NMR or MRI} - A61B 2090/3762: {using computed tomography systems [CT]} - A61B 2090/378: {using ultrasound} - G06T 2207/10081: Computed x-ray tomography [CT] - G06T 2207/10088: Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] - G06T 2207/30004: Biomedical image processing - G06T 2207/30061: Lung - G06T 2210/41: Medical - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method includes receiving anatomic image data comprising a plurality of graphical units; generating an initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units associated with an anatomic tree structure; receiving an indication of a first user selected graphical unit, the first user selected graphical unit being outside the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; applying a cost function to determine a first sequence of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of graphical units; receiving an indication of a second user selected graphical unit, the second user selected graphical unit being selected from the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units; and applying the cost function to determine a second sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the second user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving anatomic image data comprising a plurality of graphical units; generating an initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units associated with an anatomic tree structure; receiving an indication of a first user selected graphical unit from the plurality of graphical units, the first user selected graphical unit being outside the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; applying a cost function to determine a first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit outside the initial segmented set to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; receiving an indication of a second user selected graphical unit from the plurality of graphical units, the second user selected graphical unit being selected from the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units; and applying the cost function to determine a second sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the second user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining a path through the first and second user selected graphical units to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising: supplementing the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units with a branch segmented set of the plurality of graphical units based on the path; and generating a three-dimensional model of the anatomic tree structure from the initial segmented set and branch segmented sets of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: displaying the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units overlaid on an image generated from the anatomic image data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: segmenting a supplemental set of the plurality of graphical units near the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units, the supplemental set of the plurality of graphical units associated with the anatomic tree structure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein applying the cost function to determine the first sequence includes evaluating a plurality of graphical unit probability values to determine the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein applying the cost function to determine the first sequence includes evaluating a plurality of graphical unit distance values to determine the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an indication of a user acceptance of the second sequence of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 9 A system for modeling an anatomic tree structure, the system comprising: a display system; and a control system communicatively coupled to the display system, wherein the control system is configured to: receive anatomic image data comprising a plurality of graphical units; generate an initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units associated with the anatomic tree structure; receive an indication of a first user selected graphical unit from the plurality of graphical units, the first user selected graphical unit being outside the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; apply a cost function to determine a first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit outside the initial segmented set to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units; receive an indication of a second user selected graphical unit from the plurality of graphical units, the second user selected graphical unit being selected from the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units; and apply the cost function to determine a second sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the second user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the control system is further configured to: determine a path between the first and second user selected graphical units. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the control system is further configured to: supplement the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units with a branch segmented set of the plurality of graphical units based on the path; and generate a three-dimensional model of the anatomic tree structure from the initial segmented set and branch segmented sets of the plurality of graphical units for display on the display system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the control system is further configured to: display the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units overlaid on an image generated from the anatomic image data on the display system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the control system is further configured to: segment a supplemental set of the plurality of graphical units near the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units, the supplemental set of the plurality of graphical units associated with the anatomic tree structure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein applying the cost function to determine the first sequence includes evaluating a plurality of graphical unit probability values to determine the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein applying the cost function to determine the first sequence includes evaluating a plurality of graphical unit distance values to determine the first sequence of the plurality of graphical units from the first user selected graphical unit to the initial segmented set of the plurality of graphical units. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9 wherein the control system is further configured to receive an indication of a user acceptance of the second sequence of the plurality of graphical units.