Surgical navigation tracker, system and method

• US 20050288575A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Schoepp, Hans, Sarvestani, Amir, Buehner, Ulrich, Boehringer, Markus Jan, de la Barrera, Jose Luis Moctezuma
• Granted Patent: US 7,771,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/423
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/256 having a database of accessory information, e.g. including context sensitive help or scientific articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• 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 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

An adapter can be easily used to assist a surgical navigation system to determine the effector axis or the effector plane of a surgical device. The adapter has a body with a geometrical feature, the geometrical feature has a known relation with a navigation tracker device that can be attached to the adapter. When the adapter is held against a surgical device in a non-fixed manner, the effector axis or the effector plane of the device can be tracked by the surgical navigation system. The method includes a calibration method to determine the known relation between the effector axis or the effector plane and the location of the navigation tracker.

Claims

1. A system for orienting a surgical device, comprising:

a surgical navigation system having a display unit;

a navigation tracker capable of being non-fixedly coupled with a surgical device having an effector axis, the navigation tracker capable of being tracked by the navigation system, wherein there is a known relation between the navigation tracker and the effector axis;

a first circuit for calculating an orientation of the effector axis of the surgical device from the known relation between the navigation tracker and the effector axis; and

a second circuit for displaying the orientation of the effector axis of the surgical device on a display unit.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the known relation between the navigation tracker and the effector axis is determined by rotating the navigation tracker relative to the effector axis.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the navigation tracker has a body with a first side, a second side, and a geometrical feature on the second side capable of being non-fixedly coupled with the surgical device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the geometrical feature is shaped to allow a reproducible alignment between the interface and the effector axis.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the geometrical feature is a V-shaped channel.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the geometrical feature is a series of spaced lugs on the second side.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the geometrical feature is two notches that are spaced apart.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the body has a plurality of geometrical features projecting from the body.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the geometrical features are V-shaped notches.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the geometrical features are U-shaped notches.

11. The system of claim 3 wherein the second side is comprised of a hard surface to prevent wearing when held against the surgical device.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein a hand can easily hold the navigation tracker in place relative to the surgical device.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further includes a database of the known relations of the navigation tracker to the effector axis of the surgical device, and wherein the database provides the known relation to the first circuit.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the navigation tracker is an optical tracking device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the optical tracking device includes infrared LED'"'"'s.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the navigation tracker is removably attached to an adapter that has a body with a first side, a second side, and a geometrical feature on the second side capable of being non-fixedly coupled with the surgical device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the geometrical feature is shaped to allow a reproducible alignment between the interface and the effector axis.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the body has a plurality of geometrical features projecting from the body.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the geometrical features are V-shaped notches.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the geometrical features are U-shaped notches.

21. A method for orienting a surgical device, the method comprising the steps of:

coupling a navigation tracker to a surgical device that has an effector axis in a non-fixed manner using a geometrical feature associated with the navigation tracker, wherein the navigation tracker is capable of communicating with a navigation system, and wherein there is a known relation between the navigation tracker and the effector axis;

calculating orientation data for the effector axis of the surgical device from the known relation between the navigation tracker and the effector axis; and

displaying the orientation data for the effector axis of the surgical device on a display unit of the navigation system so that when the surgical device is used with the navigation system, the orientation of the effector axis of the surgical device can be tracked by the navigation system.

22. The method of claim 21 including the additional step of calibrating the known relation of the navigation tracker to the effector axis by rotating the navigation tracker relative to the effector axis.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the navigation tracker has a body with a first side, a second side, wherein the geometrical feature is located on the second side.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the geometrical feature is suitably shaped to allow a reproducible alignment between the interface and the effector axis.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the geometrical feature is a V-shaped channel.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the geometrical feature is a series of lugs on the second side.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the geometrical feature is two notches that are spaced apart.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the body has a plurality of geometrical features projecting from the body.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein the geometrical features are V-shaped notches.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the geometrical features are U-shaped notches.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein the second side is comprised of a hard surface to prevent wearing when held against the surgical device.

32. The method of claim 21 wherein a hand can easily hold the navigation tracker in place relative to the surgical device.

33. The method of claim 21 including the additional step of providing a database of the known relations of the navigation tracker to the effector axis, the database being utilized to calculate the orientation of the surgical device.

34. The method of claim 21 wherein the navigation tracker is an optical tracking device.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the optical tracking device includes infrared LED'"'"'s.

36. An adapter to attach a navigation tracker to a surgical device, comprising:

a body;

a connector attached to the body at a first end and having a second end;

an interface attached to the second end to enable a navigation tracker to be attached to the adapter; and

the body having a geometrical feature to enable a surgical device having an effector axis to be non-fixedly coupled to the body.

37. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the interface is a docking structure that releasably locks the navigation tracker into a specified position with respect to the body.

38. The adapter of claim 37 wherein the docking structure is a quick release device.

39. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical feature is suitably shaped to allow a reproducible alignment between the adapter and the effector axis.

40. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical feature is a V-shaped channel.

41. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical feature is a series of lugs on the body.

42. The adapter of claim 41 wherein the series of lugs are attached to a side of the body that is flat.

43. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical feature is two notches that are spaced apart.

44. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the body has a plurality of geometrical features projecting from the body.

45. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical features are V-shaped notches.

46. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the geometrical features are U-shaped notches.

47. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the body is comprised of a hard surface to prevent wearing when held against the surgical device.

48. The adapter of claim 36 wherein a hand can easily hold the adapter in place relative to the surgical device.

49. The adapter of claim 36 wherein the body has multiple geometric features.