Methods and systems for tracking and guiding sensors and instruments

• US 10,426,350 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ziteo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ziteo, Inc.
• Inventors: Mihailescu, Lucian, Negut, Victor Arie
• Primary Examiner(s): Newton, Alexandra L
• Application Number:
  US15/143,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/462 characterised by constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5253 combining overlapping images, e.g. spatial compounding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5261 : combining images from different diagnostic modalities, e.g. ultrasound and X-ray
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 : involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 : Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/0069 : Devices for implanting pellets, e.g. markers or solid medicaments for introducing of radioactive sources for interstitial radiation therapy, i.e. brachytherapy A61N5/1027
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8936 : using transducers mounted for mechanical movement in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/899 : Combination of imaging systems with ancillary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 : Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 : Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 : Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 : 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52065 : Compound scan display, e.g. panoramic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52077 : with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 : Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44

Abstract

A shared-housing ultrasound transducer and machine-vision camera system is disclosed for registering the transducer'"'"'s x, y, z position in space and pitch, yaw, and roll orientation with respect to an object, such as a patient'"'"'s body. The position and orientation are correlated with transducer scan data, and scans of the same region of the object are compared in order to reduce ultrasound artifacts and speckles. The system can be extended to interoperative gamma probes or other non-contact sensor probes and medical instruments. Methods are disclosed for computer or remote guiding of a sensor probe or instrument with respect to saved positions and orientations of the sensor probe.

Claims

1. A spatial registration apparatus comprising:

a gamma ray detector;

a camera rigidly connected with the gamma ray detector;

a fiducial marker affixed to an object of interest, the object of interest being different from the gamma ray detector and different from the camera; and

at least one processor operatively coupled with a memory, the memory having instructions for execution by the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores a relative location and orientation between the gamma ray detector and the rigidly connected camera, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine a pose of the camera with respect to the fiducial marker using an image of the fiducial marker captured by the camera and then transform the pose, using the stored relative location and orientation between the gamma ray detector and rigidly attached camera, to determine a first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector with respect to the fiducial marker, the at least one processor associating scanning data from the gamma ray detector with the first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector to create a first spatially registered scan, the scanning data from the gamma ray detector being time synchronized with the first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiducial marker includes binary coding.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a flexible tape having the fiducial marker, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector with respect to the object using an image captured by the camera of the fiducial marker of the flexible tape on the object.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the object has a curved surface, and the flexible tape is conformed to the curved surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fiducial marker has a rigid substrate, the flexible tape including two or more rigid substrate fiducial markers piece-wise rotatable with respect to each other.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gamma ray detector includes a Compton imager or a collimator based imager.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gamma ray detector includes a gamma ray probe that includes a semiconductor detector or scintillator.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions for execution by the at least one processor further cause the processor to:

construct a three-dimensional (3-D) model of a radioactive tracer in a tissue with respect to the object using the first spatially registered scan; and

display, on a display, the 3-D model of the radioactive tracer with respect to an outline of a body of a subject.

9. A method for viewing a radioactive tracer within tissue of a subject, the method comprising:

affixing a fiducial marker to a subject;

passing a gamma ray detector and a camera over the subject, the camera being rigidly connected with the gamma ray detector;

acquiring scanning data of a radioactive tracer within the subject from the gamma ray detector;

imaging the fiducial marker while acquiring the scanning data;

determine a pose of the camera with respect to the fiducial marker using an image captured by the camera;

obtaining a stored relative location and orientation between the gamma ray detector and the rigidly connected camera;

transforming the pose using the relative location and orientation to determine a first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector with respect to the fiducial marker;

associating the first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector with the scanning data from the gamma ray detector to create a first spatially registered scan, the scanning data from the gamma ray detector being time synchronized with the first spatial position and orientation of the gamma ray detector;

building a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the radioactive tracer using the first spatially registered scan; and

deriving visualization data from the 3-D model.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

emitting a signal from the camera;

detecting a reflection of the signal from the subject; and

determining a distance from the camera to at least three points on a surface of the subject based on the reflection of the signal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying the 3-D model of the radioactive tracer with respect to an outline of a body of the subject.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the radioactive tracer includes Tc-99 m.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying the visualization data.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising passing the visualization data over a network to a user who is remote from the subject.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the fiducial marker includes binary coding.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the fiducial marker includes one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs).

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the fiducial marker is attached to a flexible tape, and wherein the subject has a curved surface, and the flexible tape is conformed to the curved surface.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the fiducial marker is attached to a flexible tape, and wherein the fiducial marker has a rigid substrate, the flexible tape including two or more rigid substrate fiducial markers piece-wise rotatable with respect to each other.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the gamma ray detector includes a Compton imager or a collimator based imager.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the gamma ray detector includes a gamma ray probe that includes a semiconductor detector or scintillator.