Stereotactic optical navigation

• US 6,275,725 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1997
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sherwood Services AG
• Original Assignee: Radionics, Inc. (Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Cosman, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S.
• Application Number:
  US08/851,150
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 606/130, 600/425, 600/429, 600/411, 600/414, 600/417, 600/426, 600/427
• US Class Current: 600/426
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2057 Details of tracking cameras
• 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 2090/363 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 2090/368 changing the image on a display according to the operator's position
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/371 with simultaneous use of two cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3937 Visible markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3983 Reference marker arrangements for use with image guided surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/502 Headgear, e.g. helmet, spectacles
• 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 90/10 for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/20 Surgical microscopes characterised by non-optical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/105 using a laser alignment system
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 : Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/144 : using a slot moved over the image; using discrete sensing elements at predetermined points; using automatic curve following means

Abstract

A system for quantitative computer graphic determination of positions on a patient'"'"'s anatomy and positions on associated equipment located near the patient'"'"'s anatomy in relation to anatomical data, as from CT or MR scanning. A first camera produces a quantitative electronic readout of its field-of-view which provides a determination of relative spacial coordinates of uniquely identifiable points in its field-of-view. A second camera produces a quantitative electronic readout of its field-of-view which provides a determination of relative spacial coordinates of uniquely identifiable points in its field-of-view. The two cameras are located with respect to the patient'"'"'s anatomy and the associated equipment so that the fields-of-view of the cameras include both the patient'"'"'s anatomy and the equipment, but are taken from different directions. A body marker is positioned with respect to the patient'"'"'s anatomy at a known position relative to said patient anatomy. The body marker has known coordinates in a stereotactic coordinate system that is established relative to the patient'"'"'s anatomy so that the coordinates of all identifiable points in the fields of view of the two cameras can be determined relative to the stereotactic coordinate system and related to imaging data.

Claims

1. A process for providing a simultaneous display of representations showing the positional relationship of a surgical instrument in a computer graphics display of a patient'"'"'s anatomy, said process using stereotactic image-scanner data representing the patient'"'"'s anatomy and referencing the stereotactic imagine-scanner data in scanner-data coordinates, said process comprising the steps of:

storing the stereotactic image-scanner data representing the patient'"'"'s anatomy and referenced in scanner-data coordinates;

optically sensing plural different fields of view of the patient'"'"'s anatomy in real time with a plurality of cameras each of said different fields of view containing a surgical field of the patient'"'"'s anatomy and the surgical instrument, whereby to provide location data on the surgical instrument relative to the patient'"'"'s anatomy and referenced in camera coordinates;

transforming the location data on said surgical instrument referenced in the camera coordinates to transformed surgical-instrument data referenced in coordinates other than said camera coordinates;

combining the transformed surgical-instrument data and the stereotactic image-scanner data to form combined display data referenced in said scanner-data coordinates to provided display signals; and

driving a computer graphics display with the combined display data to simultaneously display an image currently representative of the surgical instrument related to the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

2. A process according to claim 1, further comprising a step of:

providing index markers relative to the patient'"'"'s anatomy and scanning the patient'"'"'s anatomy to provide said stereotactic image-scanner data with index data in the image-scanner data.

3. A process according to claim 2, wherein the step of transforming includes an operation of relating the camera coordinates with the scanner data coordinates by use of said index markers.

4. A process according to claim 2, further comprising a step of:

fixing a mechanical holder to the patient'"'"'s anatomy and providing index markers on said mechanical holder for referencing the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

5. A process according to claim 4, further comprising a step of;

referencing the mechanical holder to the location data on the surgical instrument.

6. A process according to claim 5, further comprising a step of:

repeatedly referencing the mechanical holder to the location data to correct for any positional change in the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

7. A process according to claim 6, wherein the step of optically sensing includes the step of providing at least two light sources attached to said surgical instrument.

8. A process according to claim 1, wherein the step of optically sensing includes providing at least two light sources attached to said surgical instrument.

9. A process according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

providing index markers relative to said patient'"'"'s anatomy prior to scanning said patient'"'"'s anatomy to provide index data in said image-scanner data; and

fixing a mechanical holder to said patient'"'"'s anatomy, and connecting said mechanical holder to said index markers for referencing the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

10. A process according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

attaching a mechanical holder to the patient'"'"'s anatomy, and connecting the mechanical holder to reference points on the patient'"'"'s anatomy to provide reference data for referencing the patient'"'"'s anatomy in the camera coordinates.

11. A process according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

referencing the mechanical holder to the location data on the surgical instrument.

12. A process according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

repeatedly referencing the mechanical holder to the location data to correct for any positional change in the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

13. A process according to claim 12, wherein said step of referencing the mechanical holder includes:

providing light sources attached to the mechanical holder.

14. A process according to claim 12, wherein the step of referencing the mechanical holder includes;

providing a pattern of light reflectors attached to the mechanical holder.

15. A process according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

providing a pattern of light sources attached to said mechanical holder.

16. A process according to claim 1, wherein the step of optically sensing includes providing a pattern of light sources attached to the surgical instrument.

17. A process according to claim 1, wherein the step of:

optically sensing includes providing a pattern of light reflectors attached to said surgical instrument.

18. A process according to claim 1, wherein said surgical instrument is a microscope, and said step of optically sensing further includes the step of:

providing a pattern of light sources or light reflectors attached to said microscope.

19. A process according to claim 1, wherein the transforming step further comprises the step of:

relating said coordinates by use of natural anatomical landmarks.