An endoscopic vessel harvesting system for surgical removal of a blood vessel to be used for coronary bypass uses endoscopic instruments for isolating and severing the vessel. An endoscopic camera in the endoscopic instruments captures images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the vessel. An image processor assembles a three-dimensional model of the tunnel from a series of images captured by the endoscopic camera. An augmented-reality display coupled to the image processor renders (e.g., visibly displays to the user in their field of view) a consolidated map representing the three-dimensional model along with a marker in association with the map indicating a current location of the distal tip.

A vessel harvesting system removes a target vessel from a patient for use as a bypass. An elongated harvesting instrument inserts into a body along a path of a target vessel which includes at least one side branch. The harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch. An endoscopic camera captures visible-light images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel. A thermal camera captures thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the tunnel. An image processor (e.g., an electronic controller) renders a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy. A display presenting the video stream and overlay to a user can be an augmented-reality display.

A medical image processing apparatus includes an image processor configured to: receive a plurality of first image data captured at different times and generated by illumination of light in a first wavelength band in sequence; receive a plurality of second image data captured at different times and generated by illumination of light in a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band in sequence; generate first and second images based on the received first and second image data, respectively; and output the generated first image and second image to a display in chronological order of the first and second images and in accordance with a preset display pattern of the first and second images.

A method for supporting a user, a corresponding computer program product, a corresponding data medium, and a corresponding imaging system are provided. According to the method, a three-dimensional (3D) data set depicting a target object is provided, and at least one two-dimensional (2D) image of the target object is automatically acquired. The 2D image and the 3D data set are automatically registered with each other by a 2D/3D registration. A spatial direction in which the 2D/3D registration exhibits greatest uncertainty is automatically specified. A signal for aligning an instrument that is provided for the purpose of examining the target object is then automatically generated and output as a function of the specified spatial direction in order to support the user.

A medical imaging system is described that comprises an heating element configured to apply at least one heating pattern element to a material to locally heat the material; a sensor configured to capture the position of the heated material a predetermined time after the application of the heating pattern element; and circuitry configured to determine the change of the heating pattern applied to the material based upon the captured position of the heated material after the predetermined time.

Methods and systems for navigating to a target through a patient's bronchial tree are disclosed including a bronchoscope, a probe insertable into a working channel of the bronchoscope and including a location sensor, and a workstation in operative communication with the probe and the bronchoscope, the workstation including a user interface that guides a user through a navigation plan and is configured to present a central navigation view including a plurality of views configured for assisting the user in navigating the bronchoscope through central airways of the patient's bronchial tree toward the target, a peripheral navigation view including a plurality of views configured for assisting the user in navigating the probe through peripheral airways of the patient's bronchial tree to the target, and a target alignment view including a plurality of views configured for assisting the user in aligning a distal tip of the probe with the target.

A surgical operation support apparatus 1 for performing effective display with respect to a target site image according to the situation has a detection unit 2 that detects a target site image from an image capturing an inside of a living body, an estimation unit 3 that estimates whether the target site image is being observed, and a display information generation unit 4 that generates a first display for facilitating observation of the target site image, if it is estimated that the target site image is being observed.

A photothermal treatment device includes: irradiation means that irradiates a lesion tissue in a body cavity with heating light; a thermo-endoscope including endoscopic imaging means that images the inside of the body cavity and thermographic imaging means that images a surface temperature of a tissue in the body cavity as a thermal image; and control means (control personal computer (PC)) that controls an output and an irradiation time of the irradiation means based on temperature information of the thermal image obtained from the thermographic imaging means.

A surgical vision system for imaging heat capacity and cooling rate of tissue has an infrared source configured to provide infrared light to tissue, the infrared light sufficient to heat tissue, and an infrared camera configured to provide images of tissue at infrared wavelengths. The system also has an image processing system configured to determine, from the infrared images of tissue, a cooling or heating rate at pixels of the images of tissue at infrared wavelengths and to display images derived from the cooling rate at the pixels.

The following relates generally to systems and methods of trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) automation. Some aspects relate to a TEE probe with ultrasonic transducers on a distal end of the TEE probe. In some implementations, if a target is in a field of view (FOV) of the ultrasonic transducers, an electronic beam steering of the probe is adjusted; if the target is at an edge of the FOV, both the electronic beam steering and mechanical joints of the probe are adjusted; and if the target is not in the FOV, only the mechanical joints of the probe are adjusted.