Method and apparatus for performing stereotactic surgery
OwnerMark P. Carolinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for performing stereotactic surgery upon a target within a skull establishes a first, predetermined geometric relationship between a positioning fixture mounted on the skull and a scanning table surface upon which the skull is supported; and that geometric relationship is duplicated in a phantom fixture.
Claims35
A method for performing stereotactic surgery with a medical instrument upon a target within a skull, comprising the steps of:
- (a) establishing a first, predetermined geometric relationship between a positioning fixture attached to both the skull and to a support surface upon which the skull is disposed;
- (b) scanning the skull to produce an image of the target within the skull with respect to the positioning fixture;
- (c) transferring at least a portion of the positioning fixture to a phantom fixture and disposing the positioning fixture portion with respect to the phantom fixture to establish a second, predetermined geometric relationship therebetween, which is identical to the first, predetermined geometric relationship, whereby the slope of the skull where the positioning fixture is attached to the skull is duplicated within the phantom fixture;
- (d) disposing a phantom target within the phantom fixture at a location which corresponds to the location of the target within the skull;
- (e) determining the trajectory and distance of a medical instrument extending from the positioning fixture portion to the phantom target;
- (f) attaching the portion of the positioning fixture upon the skull in the same location it was originally attached to the skull;
- and
- (g) inserting the medical instrument through the positioning fixture in the trajectory determined from the phantom fixture, whereby the medical instrument will intersect the target in the skull.
A system for performing stereotactic surgery with a medical instrument upon a target within a skull, comprising:
- (a) a positioning fixture, having associated therewith, a means for attaching the positioning fixture to both the skull and to a support surface upon which the skull is disposed;
- the positioning fixture including means for establishing a first, predetermined geometric relationship between the positioning fixture and the support surface;
- and
- (b) a phantom fixture, including:
- means for receiving at least a portion of the positioning fixture;
- means for establishing a second predetermined geometric relationship between the positioning fixture portion and the phantom fixture, wherein the second geometric relationship is identical to the first geometric relationship, whereby the slope of the skull where the positioning fixture is attached to the skull may be duplicated within the phantom fixture.
An apparatus, useful for performing stereotactic surgery, comprising:
- (a) a skull plate member, adapted to be secured to a skull;
- (b) a secondary plate member, adapted to overlie the skull plate member;
- (c) a ball socket member rotatably received within the secondary plate member;
- (d) means for aligning the skull plate member and secondary plate member with respect to one another;
- and
- (e) means for locking the ball socket member with respect to the secondary plate member.
A phantom fixture, useful in performing stereotactic surgery, comprising:
- a frame;
- a pair of rotatable gimbals, the first gimbal being disposed within the frame and rotatable about a first axis;
- the second gimbal being disposed within the first gimbal and rotatable about a second axis, the first and second axis being perpendicular to one another;
- and
- the second gimbal including means for receiving at least a portion of a stereotactic positioning fixture.
A stanchion clamp, useful in performing stereotactic surgery, comprising:
- an elongate member having upper and lower ends;
- a bracket disposed at the lower end and including means for locking the bracket to at least a portion of a stereotactic positioning fixture;
- and
- means for securing a medical instrument to the elongate member, whereby stereotactic surgery procedures can be performed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.