Movable mirror laser registration system

• US 6,314,311 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Picker International, Inc. (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Picker International, Inc. (Marconi Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Williams, Gilbert T., McNally, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/362,813
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/425, 600/130, 600/473, 600/424, 600/427, 606/130, 348/77, 348/51, 345/7, 345/9
• US Class Current: 600/425
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/366 using projection of images directly onto the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• 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 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A registration system (200) for use in connection with an image guided surgery system (10) is provided. It includes a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus (100) for collecting image data from a subject (310). An image data processor (130) reconstructs an image representation of the subject from the image data. An image projector (230) depicts the image representation on the subject (310). In a preferred embodiment, the image projector (230) depicts the image representation on the subject (310) such that registration between the subject (310) and the image representation is readily apparent. Preferably, the image projector (230) is a laser lightshow projector, a projection television, or a backlit liquid crystal display device. Optionally, a data processor (210) applies corrections to the image data such that surface contours of the subject (310) are accounted for when the image is projected onto the subject (310).

Claims

1. An image guided surgery system comprising:

a medical diagnostic imager that collects image data from a subject;

an image data processor connected to said medical diagnostic imager, said image data processor reconstructing an image representation of the subject from the image data;

contouring means for adjusting the image representation so that it is substantially undistorted when projected onto a contoured surface of the subject'"'"'s anatomy; and

,

an image projector that projects the image representation on a surface of the subject'"'"'s anatomy, wherein that which is depicted in the image representation includes anatomy of the subject other than the anatomy on which the image representation is being projected.

2. The image guided surgery system according to claim 1, wherein the image projector includes:

a light source which produces a beam of light; and

a deflector which redirects the beam of light in accordance with the image representation being depicted.

3. The image guided surgery system according to claim 1, wherein the image projector is selected from a group consisting of a laser lightshow projector, a projection television, and a backlit liquid crystal display device.

4. The image guided surgery system according to claim 1, wherein the image projector is a multi-color projector which depicts the image representation on the subject in multiple colors.

5. An image guided surgery system comprising:

a medical diagnostic imager that collects image data from a subject;

an image data processor connected to said medical diagnostic imager, said image data processor reconstructing an image representation of the subject from the image data;

contouring means for adjusting the image representation in accordance with a contoured surface of the subject'"'"'s anatomy when projected onto that contoured surface;

a laser which produces a beam of laser light;

a deflector which redirects the beam; and

,

a control processor which regulates production of the beam by the laser and controls redirection of the beam by the deflector such that the image representation is visualized on the subject.

6. The image guided surgery system according to claim 5, wherein the control processor comprises a laser lightshow controller.

7. An image guided surgery system comprising:

an image projector that depicts on a subject an image representation of the subject which is reconstructed from image data collected from the subject; and

,

a contour processor that corrects the image representation such that surface contours of the subject are accounted for when the image representation is depicted thereon by the image projector.

8. The image guided surgery system according to claim 7, wherein the contour processor determines surface contours of the subject from the image representation.

9. A method for registering a subject with an image of the subject, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining an image of the subject;

(b) processing the image to adjust it for contours on a surface of the subject where the image is to be projected;

(c) projecting the image onto the subject; and

,

(d) adjusting at least one of the subject and the image relative to one another to bring like regions of anatomy into coincidence with one another.

10. A method for conducting image guided medical procedures, wherein the method comprises:

(a) obtain an image of a subject;

(b) processing the image to account for contours on a surface of the subject; and

,

(c) protecting the processed image onto the surface of the subject.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of processing further comprises:

determining the contours of the surface from the image of the subject.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises projecting the image in multiple colors such that the image is depicted on the subject in multiple colors.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the image depicts anatomy which lies a selected depth beneath the surface upon which the image is being projected.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the selected depth corresponds to a depth at which a medical instrument is inserted into the subject.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

(d) monitoring a position of a medical instrument; and

,

(e) changing the selected depth in response to changes in the position of the medical instrument.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the selected depth corresponds to a depth at which the medical instrument is inserted into the subject.

17. A method for conducting image guided medical procedures comprising:

(a) obtain an image of a subject which is to be depicted on the subject;

(b) processing the image to adjust it for contours on a surface of the subject where the image is to be depicted;

(c) modulating a beam of laser light in accordance with the image being depicted; and

,

(d) deflecting the modulated beam such that it traces a path on the subject in accordance with the image being depicted.

18. In an image guided surgery system employing diagnostic medical image data from a subject, an image depiction system comprising:

an image projector that projects an image generated from the image data onto a surface of the subject, said image including anatomy which does not correspond to the surface on which the image is being projected; and

,

a image correction processor that adjusts the image to compensate for the contours of the surface on which the image is being projected.

20. The image depiction system according to claim 18, wherein the image projector is selected from a group consisting of a laser lightshow projector, a projection television, and a backlit liquid crystal display device.

21. The image depiction system according to claim 18, wherein coincidence of corresponding features in the depicted image and the subject determine registration of the image with the subject.

19. An image depiction system comprising:

an image projector that projects an image onto a subject in accordance with image data acquired from the subject; and

,

a data processor that applies corrections to the image data such that surface contours of the subject are accounted for when the image is projected onto the subject.