The present disclosure relates, in part, to a scanning sufficiency apparatus that computes whether a handheld scanning device has scanned a volume for a sufficiently long time for there to be detections and then indicate to the user that the time is sufficient in 3-D rendered voxels. Also described is a hand held medical navigation apparatus with system and methods to map targets inside a patient's body.

A medical instrument is described that includes an optical source, an optical fiber, and a waveguide patterned upon a substrate. The optical fiber receives radiation from the optical source and includes a first segment and a second segment. The second segment is rotated about an optical axis relative to the first segment. The waveguide receives radiation from the optical source and guides a beam of radiation. The waveguide includes a first waveguide segment designed to impart a first differential group delay on the beam of radiation and a second waveguide segment designed to impart a second differential group delay on the beam of radiation. A sum of the first differential group delay and the second differential group delay is substantially zero.

Devices for retracting tissue during a minimally-invasive, posterior spinal fusion procedure include a blade positionable along a passageway device connected to a connecting element implanted in a vertebra of the spine, such that the blade covers at least a portion of a longitudinal opening of the passageway device. The blade may be coupled to the passageway device by receiving the passageway device with a receiving portion. Systems for displacing the vertebrae of the spine include first and second extenders, the distal ends of each of which are configured to engage the connecting elements. Each extender may include a shaft configured to be securely engaged within a cage of the respective connecting element. The devices and systems of the present invention may be used in connection with an interbody fusion technique performed through an opening extending between the passageway devices, and an intermediate retractor blade may provide additional tissue retraction.

Techniques for aligning a medical instrument for percutaneous access to a location within the human anatomy can include determining an orientation of the medical instrument, determining a target location within the human anatomy, and determining a target trajectory for percutaneous access of the target location. Further, the techniques can include causing display of an interface that includes an instrument-alignment element indicative of an alignment of the orientation of the medical instrument to the target trajectory.

A surgical suturing tracking system is disclosed. The surgical suturing tracking system is configured to detect and guide a suturing needle during a surgical suturing procedure. The surgical suturing track system comprises a control circuit configured to predict a path of a needle suturing stroke after receiving an input from a clinician, detect an embedded tissue structure, and assess proximity of the predicted path and the detected embedded tissue structure.

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for identifying a region (21) of a tumour (23) in a tissue-field image (27), which image shows a tissue region (25) having a tumour (23) and has been obtained by means of light reflected or emitted by the tissue region (25). In the method, the region (21) of the tumour (23) in the tissue-field image (27) is identified on the basis of a characteristic value for the intensity of at least one component of the light reflected or emitted by the tissue region (25). The characteristic value is determined using the intensity of the at least one component in an image detail of the tissue-field image (27), which image detail corresponds to a tissue portion (36, 36′) of the tissue region (25) at which at least one piece of histological information was obtained.

Disclosure herein are aerodynamic surgical lights and methods of manufacturing and use thereof. The aerodynamic surgical lights may include a light head made of one or more substantially tubular light housings. The substantially tubular light housings contain and protect a plurality of LED lights and their respective reflectors that aim a light beam toward the lower side of the substantially tubular light housings. The substantially tubular light housings are vertically elongate. The vertically elongated substantially tubular light housings include upper sections that are aerodynamically curved or pointed to streamline airflow past the light housings. The upper sections of the substantially tubular light housings are made of molded plastic resin reinforced with carbon fibers or glass fibers and the lower sections of the substantially tubular light housings are made of a clear moldable plastic.

Systems and methods for motion mode management include a computer-assisted device having an input control, a repositionable structure, and a controller coupled to the input control and the repositionable structure. The controller is configured to detect movement of the input control, control movement of the repositionable structure based on the movement of the input control, determine whether the movement of the input control is likely to include one or more components of a mode switching movement of the input control, and in response to determining that the movement of the input control is likely to include one or more components of the mode switching movement, temporarily disable mode switching in response to movement of the input control. The mode switching movement changes a mode of operation for the device. In some embodiments, the temporarily disabling prevents changing the mode of operation when the movement is a mode switching movement.

A medical observation system, a control method, and a program are provided, which are capable of easily reducing the possibility that illumination light directly enters an eye by accident. A medical observation system 1 includes: an imaging unit 21 that captures an object and generates an image signal; a light output unit 22 that outputs illumination light in a capturing direction of the imaging unit 21; a determining unit 942 that determines the usage state of the imaging unit 21; and an illumination controller 944 that controls illumination light emitted by the light output unit 22 based on a determination result of the determining unit 942.

A tissue detection system includes a probe having a body defining a distal end portion for positioning in contact with or close proximity to tissue. The probe includes an emission optical fiber extending from an input end through the probe body to an output end at the distal end portion of the probe body, and a detection optical fiber extending from an output end through the probe body to an input end at the distal end portion of the probe body. An emitter is coupled to the input end of the emission optical fiber and a detector is coupled to the output end of the detection optical fiber. One or more optical elements is disposed at the detector filter out electromagnetic radiation received from the detection optical fiber below a pre-determined wavelength threshold or outside of a pre-determined wavelength range.