Augmented-reality endoscopic vessel harvesting

A method of guiding endoscopic vessel harvesting to remove a blood vessel or vessel section to be used as a bypass graft, the method comprising the steps of:

• pre-mapping a dissection path of a vessel to be harvested using transcutaneous sensing of the vessel;
• dissecting, using a dissector, a working tunnel along the vessel to be harvested, wherein the working tunnel is a dissected tunnel;
• capturing a series of images from an endoscopic camera at a distal tip of an endoscopic instrument within the dissected tunnel, wherein the dissected tunnel is formed around the vessel to be harvested, and wherein the vessel is within a limb of a patient;
• estimating relative distances between trackable features present in more than one image of the series of images;
• assembling a three-dimensional model of the dissected tunnel from the series of images captured by the endoscopic camera, the three-dimensional model based on the estimated relative distances;
• rendering a consolidated map representing the three-dimensional model on a display visible to a user;
• rendering a marker on the display in association with the map indicating a current location of the distal tip;
• comparing a current location of the distal tip with the dissection path;
• and
• presenting a warning to the user when a deviation between the current location of the distal tip and the dissection path exceeds a predetermined threshold.