Enhanced Endoscopy Vision

Limited vision constrains any endoscopic procedure for gastroenterologists and surgeons alike. In order to visualize the surrounding context during surgery, the camera-equipped endoscope has to be moved continuously and therewith, moved away from the site of operation. The captured scene becomes visible only temporarily and any correlations between situs and anatomical periphery are associated by the surgeon.

Documentation is based on individual image frames with impaired vision or whole video sequences, which are cumbersome to transmit and archive.

With the development of so-called stitching technologies, panoramic images with high spatial resolution are possible by way of post-processing continually captured image sequences. These technologies allow showing multiple fields of view of the camera simultaneously. Due to the high computational effort of conventional methods, these pictures generally cannot be stitched together “online“ during surgery, but are available only at a later point in time. We developed the “Endo-stitch system“ to circumvent this limitation and to be able to capture and use panoramic pictures in real time during the endoscopic procedure.

The calculation of the panoramic images with “Endorama^®“ is based on a sequence of image operators, which are applied to any new image of the connected camera. After distortion has been corrected in the endoscopic image, the image features are used to spatially align the image sequence. This way the scene captured by the endoscope is gradually established as panoramic image at a data rate of 8 to 10 frames per second. The latest image is constantly projected onto the panoramic image, always providing the endoscopist with real-time perspective in the anatomical context.

Panoramic pictures with mapped live images provide the anatomical context throughout endoscopic procedures. The anatomical context can be updated through a simple movement of the endoscope at any time, facilitating surgical orientation and visual overview of the operating area.

Using one or more panoramic images improves the documentation and quality assurance of endoscopic interventions. They provide a quick overview, allow simple archiving and easy transmission.

“Endorama^®“ has not yet been certified as a medical product. Fraunhofer IIS presents this functional prototype with the aim of engaging partners for further development as well as for production and marketing.

• Bergen, T; Schneider, A; Münzenmayer, C; Knödgen, F; Feussner, H; Wittenberg, T; Winter, C: Echtzeit-Stitching endoskopischer Bilder für eine erweiterte Sicht in chirurgischen Eingriffen. In: Endoskopie Heute, 24(1):60-61, 2011.
• Bergen, T; Ruthotto, S; Rupp, S; Winter, C; Münzenmayer, C: Endoscopic Egomotion Computation. In: Proc’s SPIE Medical Imaging 2010: Computer Aided Diagnosis, Feb. 13-18, 2010, Dawant, BM; Haynor, DR (Eds.), Vol. 7623.