Fluoroscopic tracking and visualization system

• US 6,856,826 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stryker European Holdings I, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kapur, Tina, Seeley, Teresa, Gregerson, Gene, Lin, Faith
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, WILLIAM C
• Application Number:
  US10/298,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/426, 600/427, 600/429, 600/431, 606/130, 250362-36309, 250370-37004, 250/368, 378/6, 378/21, 378/42, 378/44, 378/46, 378/62, 378/63, 378/68
• US Class Current: 600/426
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. graphical user interface, icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/487 involving fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• 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 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/583 using calibration phantoms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/584 determining position of components of the apparatus or device using images of the phantom
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A method for surgical imaging and display including (i.) positioning a defined set of markers disposed in a pattern so as to be imaged in each pose or view of an imaging assembly, the set of markers being fixed in pre-determined positions in a rigid carrier, (ii.) securing a first tracking element against motion with respect to the rigid carrier so that determining a position of the first tracking element in a single measurement determines positions of all the markers of the set, and (iii.) identifying images of at least a subset of the markers in a first view.

Claims

1. A method for surgical imaging and display of the type including an imaging assembly having an x-ray source and detector, for displaying an image for surgical guidance, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

positioning a defined set of markers disposed in a pattern so as to be imaged in each pose or view of the imaging assembly, the set of markers being fixed in pre-determined positions in a rigid carrier;

securing a first tracking element against motion with respect to the rigid carrier so that determining a position of the first tracking element in a single measurement determines positions of all the markers of the set; and

identifying images of at least a subset of the markers in a first view.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said positioning step comprises disposing the set of markers in a plurality of planes having a defined separation therebetween.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing additional tracking elements to at least one object selected from among a patient and a medical instrument so as to determine a position of said object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing a second tracking element to the detector.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing a second tracking element to a patient being imaged.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing a second tracking element to a medical instrument.

7. A method for surgical imaging and display of tissue structures of a patient, comprising:

affixing a fixture to an imaging side of a fluoroscope for providing patterns of an array of markers that are imaged in each fluoroscope image;

deriving at least one image in a display from a fluoroscope during a surgical procedure;

securing at least one of a plurality of tracking elements against motion with respect to the fixture;

determining positions of the fixture and the patient through a tracking assembly having a plurality of tracking elements so that determining a position of the at least one of the plurality of tracking elements determines a position of each of the array of markers in a single measurement; and

displaying images in coordination with a tool image to facilitate manipulation of a tool during the surgical procedure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said affixing step comprises disposing the array of markers in a plurality of planes having a defined separation therebetween.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing an identification of a subset of the markers in at least one of the images.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a camera model that includes at least one distortion of each fluoroscope image.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising automatically determining relative position data of the array of markers and the tool.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining an image transformation such that a representation of the tool is correctly positioned and oriented in the fluoroscope image.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising securing at least one of the plurality of tracking elements to a fluoroscope detector, securing at least one of the plurality of tracking elements to a patient being imaged, and securing at least one of the plurality of tracking elements to the tool.

14. A method of fluoroscopic imaging using a fluoroscope that includes a source and an image detector, said method comprising:

disposing a fixture having a three dimensional array of markers over a region in a rigid body that is positioned between the source and the detector,

automatically imaging the three dimensional array of markers as an image is acquired by the fluoroscope;

associating a first tracking element with a tool;

associating a second tracking element with a patient;

associating a third tracking element with the image detector;

associating a fourth tracking element with the fixture; and

configuring the tracking elements to automatically determine position data for each of the tool, patient, image detector and fixture relative to one another.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying at least a subset of markers in the image.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising determining camera imaging parameters for the image based on a table of predefined marker positions.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming a corrected tool navigation fluoroscopic image by way of a correction unit that is responsive to the camera imaging parameters and to the position data.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein each of said associating steps comprises associating more than one tracking element with each of the tool, patient, image detector and fixture.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said three dimensional array of markers includes a plurality of arrays of markers disposed in a plurality of planes, wherein said planes have a defined separation therebetween.