DISPOSABLE AND RADIOLUCENT REFERENCE ARRAY FOR OPTICAL TRACKING

• US 20120143050A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Original Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Inventors: Heigl, Rupert
• Granted Patent: US 10,039,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0023 disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• 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 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/302 Clad or other composite foil or thin metal making

Abstract

A reference foil comprises an unsymmetric marker foil device which advantageously includes spatially separated pieces of a marker material foil in unsymmetric arrangement and/or at least one unsymmetric integral piece of the marker material foil. The reference foil and a carrier device for the same may be used for example in image-guided surgery.

Claims

1. A reference foil comprising an unsymmetric marker foil device.

2. The reference foil according to claim 1, wherein the marker foil device comprises spatially separated pieces of a marker material foil in unsymmetric arrangement and/or at least one unsymmetric integral piece of the marker material foil.

3. The reference foil according to claim 1, wherein the marker foil device is unsymmetric such that the appearance of the marker foil device depends on the angle of view and/or direction of view and/or such that the marker foil device does not display any symmetry.

4. The reference foil according to claim 1, comprising at least one attaching part for attaching the reference foil to a carrier device.

5. The reference foil according to claim 1, wherein the reference foil comprises a supporting foil which is flexible and strain-resistant.

6. The reference foil according to claim 1, wherein the reference foil has a tubular or sheet geometry.

7. The reference foil according to claim 1, wherein the reference foil is coated with nanoparticles.

8. A carrier device for carrying a reference foil according to claim 1.

9. The carrier device according to claim 8, wherein the carrier device is formed as an inflexible support frame.

10. The carrier device according to claim 8, wherein the carrier device at least partially has cylindrical geometry.

11. The carrier device according to claim 8, wherein the carrier device comprises a fixing part to which a reference foil can be attached.

12. The carrier device according to claim 8, wherein the carrier device comprises a tensioning part for tensioning the reference foil.

13. A system comprising a reference foil according to claim 1, and a carrier device according to claim 8.

14. A method for producing the reference foil according to claim 1, comprising a step of forming on the reference foil an attaching part for attaching the reference foil to a carrier device according to claim 8 and a step of forming the marker foil device on the reference foil, wherein the reference foil is kept stationary from the start of at least one of the two steps until both steps are completed.

15. The method according to claim 13 further comprising at least one of the following steps:

supplying an adhesive onto a supporting foil at locations at which the marker foil device is to be placed onto the supporting foil;

placing a marker material foil and the supporting foil on top of each other;

mechanically separating at least one marker foil device from a marker material foil without damaging the supporting foil;

removing the slug of the marker material foil from the marker foil device and the supporting foil.