System for indicating the position of a surgical probe within a head on an image of the head

• US 6,076,008 A
• Filed: 02/03/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: St. Louis University
• Original Assignee: St. Louis University
• Inventors: Bucholz, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US09/243,804
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 600/426, 600/427, 600/429, 606/130
• US Class Current: 600/427
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2063 Acoustic tracking systems, e.g. using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2068 using pointers, e.g. pointers having reference marks for determining coordinates of body points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/061 for measuring dimensions, e.g. length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/373 using light, e.g. by using optical scanners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3925 ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3929 Active markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3954 magnetic, e.g. NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3979 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3995 Multi-modality markers
• 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 5/0064 Body surface scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0073 : by tomography, i.e. reconstruction of 3D images from 2D projections A61B5/0066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 : involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 : Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 : Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/702 : Posture restraints
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 : Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 : for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 : combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 : Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0808 : for diagnosis of the brain
• 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 90/10 : for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 : Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 : Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers

Abstract

A system for determining a position of a probe relative to an object such as a head of a body of a patient. The head includes a surface such as a forehead having a contour. Cross sectional images of the head are scanned and stored as a function of the forehead contour. If the forehead contour does not appear in the scan images, then the position of the forehead contour relative to the scan images is determined with an optical scanner and a ring. During surgery, the optical scanner also determines the position of the forehead relative to the ring. An array for receiving radiation emitted from the probe and from the ring generates signals indicating the position of the tip of the probe relative to the ring. A stereotactic imaging system generates and displays an image of the head corresponding to the measured position of the tip of the probe. The system may also display scan images from different scanning technologies which scan images correspond to the same position in the head.

Claims

1. A system for determining the position of a probe relative to a body of a patient, said system comprising:

a receiver configured to receive signals;

a reference fixed in relation to the body, the reference in a line of sight with the receiver and the reference radiating and passing a signal representing the position of the reference to the receiver;

a memory having stored images of the body, the images including reference images correlatable to the reference;

a probe in a line of sight with the receiver and the probe radiating and passing a signal representing the position of the probe to the receiver;

a processor in communication with the receiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to determine the position of the body in the images of the body, to determine the position of the reference relative to the receiver, to determine the position of the probe relative to the receiver, to determine the position of the probe relative to the reference;

to determine the position of the probe relative to the body, and to translate the position of probe relative to the body to the position of the probe relative to the body in the images of the body; and

a display of the images of the translated position of the probe relative to the body.

2. A system for determining the position of an instrument relative to a body of a patient, said system comprising:

a base fixed in relation to the patient, the base radiating a base signal associated therewith;

a memory having stored images of the body, the images including reference images correlatable to the base;

an instrument radiating an instrument signal associated therewith;

a digitizer in communication with the base and the instrument, the digitizer configured to determine the position of the base and the instrument based on the signals received from the base and the instrument;

a computer in communication with the digitizer and the memory, wherein the computer is configured to determine the position of the body in the images of the body, to determine the position of the instrument relative to the base, to determine the position of the instrument relative to the body, and to translate the position of the instrument relative to the body to the position of the instrument relative to the body in the images of the body; and

a display of the images of the translated position of the instrument relative to the body.