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Methods and apparatus for enhancing surgical planning provide enhanced planning of entry port placement and/or robot position for laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive surgery. Various embodiments may be used in robotic surgery systems to identify advantageous entry ports for multiple

Methods and apparatus for enhancing surgical planning provide enhanced planning of entry port placement and/or robot position for laparoscopic, robotic, and other minimally invasive surgery. Various embodiments may be used in robotic surgery systems to identify advantageous entry ports for multiple robotic surgical tools into a patient to access a surgical site. Generally, data such as imaging data is processed and used to create a model of a surgical site, which can then be used to select advantageous entry port sites for two or more surgical tools based on multiple criteria. Advantageous robot positioning may also be determined, based on the entry port locations and other factors. Validation and simulation may then be provided to ensure feasibility of the selected port placements and/or robot positions. Such methods, apparatus and systems may also be used in non-surgical contexts, such as for robotic port placement in munitions defusion or hazardous waste handling.

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1. An apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to execute instructions for implementing: a calculation module configured to calculate the values of optimization criteria for each of a plurality of port placement candidates, each port placement candidate defining the positions of a

1. An apparatus comprising a processor, the processor configured to execute instructions for implementing: a calculation module configured to calculate the values of optimization criteria for each of a plurality of port placement candidates, each port placement candidate defining the positions of a plurality of ports into which a corresponding plurality of robotic arms of a robotic system may be inserted to access a target, each value of the optimization criteria being a function of port optimization criteria and a cost function defined by the configuration of the robotic system;an optimization module configured to apply an optimization algorithm to the calculated optimization criteria to determine a preferred port placement candidate for the robotic arms; anda register module configured to register the preferred port placement candidate to a patient. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, the optimization algorithm defined by minimizing the cost function based on the calculated values of the optimization criteria. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, at least one of the plurality of robotic arms supporting a corresponding surgical tool, the port optimization criteria comprising tool-to-target attack angle for each port. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, the port optimization criteria comprising a dexterity parameter. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, at least one of the robotic arms supporting an endoscope for capturing an image of the target site, the port optimization criteria comprising a tool-to-endoscope angle. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, at least two of the plurality of robotic arms each supporting a corresponding surgical tool, at least one of the plurality of robotic arms supporting an endoscope, the port optimization criteria being defined based on symmetry and alignment of a first tool and a second tool about the endoscope. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, the port optimization criteria comprising the separation distance between two of the plurality of ports. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, the optimization function further comprising a function of port feasibility criteria. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, the port feasibility criteria comprising a maximum acceptable port-to-target distance. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, the port feasibility criteria comprising a maximum acceptable entry angle. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, the port feasibility criteria comprising an angle between port-to-target path and port direction. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, the port feasibility criteria comprising a determination that port-to-target path is clear of obstructions. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the robotic system, the robotic system having configurable passive and active joints for supporting the robotic arms. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, the cost function being a function of a separation between the robotic arms. 15. A method comprising: using a processor, calculating the values of optimization criteria for each of a plurality of port placement candidates, each port placement candidate defining the positions of a plurality of ports into which a corresponding plurality of robotic arms of a robotic system may be inserted to access a target, each value of the optimization criteria being a function of port optimization criteria and a cost function defined by the configuration of the robotic system;using the processor, applying an optimization algorithm to the calculated optimization criteria to determine a preferred port placement candidate; andusing the processor, registering the preferred port placement candidate to the patient. 16. The method of claim 15, the robotic system having configurable passive and active joints for supporting the robotic arms, the cost function being a function of a separation between the robotic arms. 17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display, the register module configured to register the preferred port placement candidate by marking preferred port locations on a model of the patient as shown on the display. 18. The apparatus of claim 1, the register module configured to register the preferred port placement candidate by aligning the robotic system to a reference frame of the patient. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing non-transitory code for causing a computer to determine a preferred port placement candidate, the code comprising: code for causing a computer to calculate the values of optimization criteria for each of a plurality of port placement candidates, each port placement candidate defining the positions of a plurality of ports into which a corresponding plurality of robotic arms of a robotic system may be inserted to access a target, the value of the optimization criteria being a function of port optimization criteria and a cost function defined by the configuration of the robotic system;code for causing a computer to apply an optimization algorithm to the calculated optimization criteria to determine a preferred port placement candidate for the robotic arms; andcode for causing a computer to register the preferred port placement candidate to a patient. 20. The storage medium of claim 19, the optimization algorithm defined by minimizing a cost function based on the calculated values of the optimization criteria. 21. The storage medium of claim 19, at least one robotic arm supporting a corresponding surgical tool, the port optimization criteria comprising tool-to-target attack angle for each port. 22. The storage medium of claim 19, the port optimization criteria comprising a dexterity parameter. 23. The storage medium of claim 19, at least one of the robotic arms supporting an endoscope for capturing an image of the target site, the port optimization criteria comprising a tool-to-endoscope angle. 24. The storage medium of claim 19, at least two robotic arms each supporting a corresponding surgical tool, at least one robotic arm supporting an endoscope, the port optimization criteria being defined based on symmetry and alignment of a first tool and a second tool about the endoscope. 25. The storage medium of claim 19, the port optimization criteria comprising the separation distance between two of the plurality of ports. 26. The storage medium of claim 19, the optimization function further comprising a function of port feasibility criteria. 27. The storage medium of claim 19, the port feasibility criteria comprising a maximum acceptable port-to-target distance. 28. The storage medium of claim 19, the port feasibility criteria comprising a maximum acceptable entry angle. 29. The storage medium of claim 19, the port feasibility criteria comprising an angle between port-to-target path and port direction. 30. The storage medium of claim 19, the port feasibility criteria comprising a determination that port-to-target path is clear of obstructions. 31. The storage medium of claim 19, further comprising the robotic system, the robotic system having configurable passive and active joints for supporting the robotic arms. 32. The storage medium of claim 19, the cost function being a function of a separation between the robotic arms.