title: How does the camera assistant decide the zooming ratio of laparoscopic images? Analysis and implementation.
abstract: An important factor for defining a good image during laparoscopic surgery is the zooming ratio, which corresponds to the depth of insertion of the laparoscope along its longitudinal axis. However, it is not clear how surgeons (camera assistants) decide the zooming ratio of laparoscopic images during surgery. Conventional automatic camera positioning systems define the zooming ratio "uniformly" based on simple heuristics. However, because the most adequate zooming ratio varies widely during surgery, these conventional systems may not offer the specific view that the surgeon wants. Therefore, we first investigated how the camera assistant decides the zooming ratio of laparoscopic images by fully analyzing the positional relationship between the laparoscope and the surgical instrument during laparoscopic surgery. Then, we extracted the zooming behavior and implemented it in the robotic laparoscope positioner that we previously developed. As a result, the zooming behavior of our robotic system became very similar to that of the human camera assistant. It was found that the proposed zooming motion of our robotic system may be suitable for fast and compact operations during surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagoe
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Mitsugu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekimoto
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
authors.forename: Morito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monden
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012371:Robotics / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis