Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the calibration of an endoscopic camera consisting in a camera-head equipped with exchangeable, rotatable optics (the rigid endoscope), which is accomplished with no user intervention in the Operating Room by first characterizing the rigid endoscope through a set of parameters ? and then using this lens descriptor ? as input in a real-time software that processes the images acquired by an arbitrary camera-head equipped with the rigid endoscope, to provide the calibration of the complete endoscopic camera arrangement at every frame time instant, irrespective of the relative rotation of the lens scope with respect to camera-head or zoom settings. Also disclosed is an image software method that detects if the lens descriptor is not compatible with the rigid endoscope in use to prevent errors and warn the user about faulty situations.

Abstract: Arthroscopes and laparoscopes are available in several lens cuts to cover different clinical situations of interest, with the surgeon having to exchange the optics in order to change the direction of view of the camera. The presently disclosed embodiments disclose real-time image processing systems and methods that enable the user to arbitrarily change the direction of view of a surgical camera with the advantage of avoiding the disruption in workflow caused by the physical exchange of the optics. In addition, the presently disclosed embodiments disclose performing zoom along an arbitrary viewing direction (directional zoom) that enables to increase the scale of a region of interest without decreasing the overall field-of-view or losing image contents.