Method and apparatus for tracking a medical instrument based on image registration

• US 20020077543A1
• Filed: 06/26/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Computer Assisted Surgery Incorporated, Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Shahidi, Ramin, Grzeszczuk, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 6,782,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• 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 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for tracking a medical instrument, as it is moved in an operating space to a patient target site in the space, by constructing a composite, 3-D rendition of at least a part of the operating space based on an algorithm that registers preoperative 3-D diagnostic scans of the operating space with real-time, stereo x-ray or radiograph images of the operating space. The invention has particular utility in tracking a flexible medical instrument and/or a medical instrument that moves inside the patient'"'"'s body and is not visible to the surgeon.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in an image-guided surgical or a diagnostic procedure for tracking an instrument in an operating space that includes a target site of a patient, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a data-storage medium for storing scan data representing scans of the operating space including the patient target site;

(b) an image capture device adapted to capture at least two stereo images of the operating space including the patient target site and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure;

(c) a display device; and

(d) a processor in communication with the data-storage medium, the image capture device, and the display device for;

(i) registering selected scan data with the stereo images without using a fiducial structure,

(ii) constructing a composite, three-dimensional rendition showing features from the selected scan data and the stereo images, and

(iii) displaying the composite rendition on the display device, so as to enable a user to track the instrument as it is moved within the operating space to a selected position with respect to the patient target site.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor constructs the composite rendition using stereo photogrammetry to extract three-dimensional information from projective images.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image capture device comprises a plurality of x-ray devices, and the at least two captured stereo images are radiographic images.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is capable of tracking an instrument not visible to a user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is capable of tracking a flexible instrument not visible to a user.

6. An apparatus for use in an image-guided surgical or a diagnostic procedure for tracking a flexible instrument such as a flexible catheter through a vascular network in a patient, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a data-storage medium for storing scan data representing scans of the vascular network;

(b) an x-ray device adapted to capture at least two stereo radiographic images of vascular network and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure;

(c) a display device; and

(d) a processor in communication with the data-storage medium, the x-ray device, and the display device for;

(i) registering selected scan data with the stereo images without using a fiducial structure,

(ii) constructing a three-dimensional, composite rendition showing features from the selected scan data and the stereo images, and

(iii) displaying the composite rendition on the display device, so as to enable a user to track and navigate the flexible instrument as it is moved through a selected path in the vascular network to a selected position in the patient'"'"'s body.

7. A method for use in an image-guided surgical or a diagnostic procedure for tracking an instrument in an operating space that includes a target site of a patient, the method comprising:

(a) storing scan data representing scans of the operating space including the patient target site;

(b) capturing at least two stereo images of the operating space including the patient target site and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure;

(c) registering selected scan data with the stereo images without using a fiducial structure;

(d) constructing a composite, three-dimensional rendition showing features from the selected scan data and the stereo images; and

(e) displaying the composite rendition, so as to enable a user to track the instrument as it is moved within the operating space to a selected position with respect to the patient target site.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the constructing (d) comprises constructing the composite rendition using stereo photogrammetry to extract three-dimensional information from projective images.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the capturing (b) comprises capturing at least two radiographic images of the operating space including the patient target site and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the tracked instrument is not visible to a user.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the tracked instrument is a flexible instrument not visible to a user.

13. The processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the constructing instructions (d) comprises instructions for constructing the composite rendition using stereo photogrammetry to extract three-dimensional information from projective images.

14. The processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the capturing instructions (b) comprises instructions for capturing at least two radiographic images of the operating space including the patient target site and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure.

12. A processor-readable medium embodying a program of instructions for execution by a processor for performing a method, used in an image-guided surgical or a diagnostic procedure, for tracking an instrument in an operating space that includes a target site of a patient, the program of instructions comprising:

(a) instructions for storing scan data representing scans of the operating space including the patient target site;

(b) instructions for capturing at least two stereo images of the operating space including the patient target site and such instrument during the image-guided surgical or diagnostic procedure;

(c) instructions for registering selected scan data with the stereo images without using a fiducial structure;

(d) instructions for constructing a composite, three-dimensional rendition showing features from the selected scan data and the stereo images; and

(e) instructions for displaying the composite rendition, so as to enable a user to track the instrument as it is moved within the operating space to a selected position with respect to the patient target site.