# US 2021/0330399 A1 · Surgical tracking methods and fiber optic shape sensing devices thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0330399 A1 - Document ID: US20210330399A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/242,501 - Filed: 2021-04-28 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-28 - Assignees: Smith & Nephew, Inc.; Smith & Nephew Asia Pacific Pte. Limited; Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics AG - Applicants: Smith & Nephew, Inc.; Smith & Nephew Asia Pacific Pte. Limited; Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics AG - Inventors: Nathan Anil NETRAVALI; Paul Alexander TORRIE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210330399A1 ## CPC - A61B 34/20: Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis - A61B 17/17: Guides {or aligning means} for drills {, mills, pins or wires} - A61B 17/3403: {Needle locating or guiding means} - A61B 17/3472: {for bones, e.g. intraosseus injections} - A61B 34/30: Surgical robots - A61B 90/03: {Automatic limiting or abutting means, e.g. for safety} - A61B 17/15: Guides therefor - A61B 17/16: Instruments for performing osteoclasis; Drills or chisels for bones; Trepans {(arthroscopic bone cutters A61B17/320016)} - A61B 2017/564: {Methods for bone or joint treatment} - A61B 2034/2051: {Electromagnetic tracking systems} - A61B 2034/2061: {using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings} - A61B 2090/373: {using light, e.g. by using optical scanners} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, surgical tracking devices, and systems that facilitate improved tracking in surgical environments are disclosed. With this technology, a fiber optic shape sensing (FOSS) device is rigidly attached to patient anatomy and/or surgical instrument(s) to facilitate location and/or flexibility tracking. The data provided by the FOSS device can be analyzed and registered to preoperative or intraoperative 3D anatomy model(s). The FOSS device can be attached to a surgical instrument to provide intraoperative guidance, used to locate a hollow needle for tracking bones in a minimally invasive manner, and/or used to detect bending in an instrument such as an arthroscope or tissue removing burr shaft, for example. The tracked location and/or flexibility data provided by the FOSS device can also be used to automatically control the location and/or operation of a surgical instrument during a surgical proceeding to facilitate improved surgical accuracy and patient outcomes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for anatomy location tracking, the method comprising: attaching a fiber optical shape sensing (FOSS) device to one or more anatomical structures of a patient, wherein the FOSS device comprises an optical fiber comprising a plurality of cores each comprising at least one fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor; generating reflectivity data based on detected reflection from the FBG sensors of broadband light introduced by a light source to the plurality of cores of the optical fiber of the FOSS device; registering one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within a coordinate system of at least one three dimensional model of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient; tracking a location of at least the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device based on the generated reflectivity data and the registration; and adjusting one or more graphical displays output to a display device based on the tracked location, wherein the one or more graphical displays comprise a representation of at least a portion of the at least one three dimensional model of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cores of the optical fiber of the FOSS device comprises a plurality of FBG sensors, wherein the method further comprises attaching the FOSS device biased against the one or more anatomical structures of the patient, and wherein the generated reflectivity data represents a shape of at least a portion of the optical fiber of the FOSS device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: driving a hollow needle into at least one of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient, wherein the hollow needle comprises an inner lumen; and seating at least one of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within the inner lumen of the hollow needle to attach the FOSS device to the at least one of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising seating at least one of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within the inner lumen of the hollow needle at or below a bone level of the at least one of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient comprises soft tissue, and wherein the hollow needle is positioned in the soft tissue. ### Claim 6 A method for surgical instrument location tracking, the method comprising: attaching a fiber optical shape sensing (FOSS) device to at least one surgical instrument disposed in a surgical environment, wherein the FOSS device comprises an optical fiber comprising at least one core comprising at least one fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor; generating reflectivity data based on detected reflection from the at least one FBG sensor of broadband light introduced by a light source to the at least one core of the optical fiber of the FOSS device; registering one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within a coordinate system of the surgical environment; tracking a location of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device based on the generated reflectivity data and the registration; and adjusting one or more graphical displays output to a display device based on the tracked location, wherein the one or more graphical displays comprise a representation associated with at least a portion of the at least one surgical instrument. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically controlling a location or an operation of the at least one surgical instrument based on the tracked location of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one surgical instrument comprises a limb or joint of a robotic arm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining when a collision of the limb or joint of the robotic arm, or an instrument held by the robotic arm, with another tracked object in the surgical environment is imminent based on the tracked location; and preventing the collision based on the automatic control of the location of the limb or joint of the robotic arm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one surgical instrument comprises a flexible portion of a drill guide, and wherein the method further comprises placing a guidewire for a femoral tunnel based on the tracked location in order to define one or more of a trajectory or an orientation of the guidewire. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one surgical instrument comprises two or more surgical instruments attached to the FOSS device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising automatically controlling a shaver or an ablator based on the tracked location to remove one or more portions of an anatomical structure of a patient, wherein the one or more portions of the anatomical structure of the patient are defined preoperatively via one or more models. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: attaching the FOSS device to the one or more anatomical structures of a patient; registering another one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within one or more of the coordinate system of the surgical environment or at least one three dimensional model of the one or more anatomical structures of the patient; and tracking another location of the another one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device based on the generated reflectivity data and the registration. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising communicating via one or more communication networks with a surgical computer configured to implement a navigated surgical procedure in order to automatically control the location or the operation of the at least one surgical instrument. ### Claim 15 A method for surgical instrument flexibility tracking, the method comprising: attaching a fiber optical shape sensing (FOSS) device to at least one surgical instrument disposed in a surgical environment, wherein the FOSS device comprises an optical fiber comprising a plurality of cores each comprising at least one fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor; generating reflectivity data based on detected reflection from the at least one FBG sensor of broadband light introduced by a light source to the plurality of cores of the optical fiber of the FOSS device; determining a flexion of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device based on the generated reflectivity data; and automatically controlling a location or an operation of the at least one surgical instrument based on the determined flexion of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising registering one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device within a coordinate system of the surgical environment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of cores comprises a plurality of FBG sensors configured to facilitate tracking of a shape of the one or more portions of the optical fiber of the FOSS device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising automatically controlling the location or the operation of the at least one surgical instrument when the determined flexion exceeds a flexion threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising communicating via one or more communication networks with a surgical computer configured to implement a navigated surgical procedure in order to automatically control the location or the operation of the at least one surgical instrument. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one surgical instrument comprises a shaver comprising a burr tip configured to remove one or more anatomical structures of a patient.