Conformal coil array for a medical tracking system

• US 7,471,202 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Peter Traneus
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/277,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20070238980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/825.49, 340/505, 340/10.1, 340/573.1, 600/424, 343/878, 343/895
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/102 Modelling of surgical devices, implants or prosthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/376 using X-rays, e.g. fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3958 emitting a signal
• 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 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• 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

Abstract

Described herein are one or more implementations for reducing the effects of distortion caused by the distorters in medical image-capture components used in medical electromagnetic tracking system. Examples of a medical image-capture component include an X-ray image detector used in fluoroscopic image-guided medical procedures and a surgical microscope. With one or more implementations described herein, the electromagnetic receiver unit (or transmitter unit) is conformably attached to the medical image-capture component.

Claims

1. A medical tracking system comprising:

an image-capture sub-system configured to capture images during a medical procedure;

an electromagnetic tracking sub-system configured to track one or more medical instruments and one or more image-capture components of the image-capture sub-system during a medical procedure;

a tracker unit conformally mounted to one of the image-capture components of the image-capture sub-system that is being tracked by the electromagnetic tracking sub-system, wherein the tracker unit is conformally mounted so that the unit conforms to a surface of the image-capture component to which the unit is mounted.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracker unit is a receiver.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the tracker unit is a transmitter.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the image-capture component to which the unit is mounted has a housing comprising electrically-conductive material.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the conformally mounted tracker unit is flush mounted to the one of the image-capture components.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein image-capture sub-system is an X-ray image detector.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein image-capture sub-system is a surgical microscope.

8. A tracker apparatus comprising a receiver mounted to an image-capture component of an image-capture sub-system, the image-capture component being tracked by an electromagnetic tracking sub-system, the image-capture sub-system configured to capture images during a medical procedure, the electromagnetic tracking sub-system configured to track one or more medical instruments and one or more image-capture components of the image-capture sub-system during a medical procedure, wherein the receiver is conformally mounted so that the receiver conforms to a surface of the image-capture component.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the image-capture component to which the receiver is mounted has a housing comprising electrically-conductive material.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein image-capture sub-system is an X-ray image detector.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein image-capture sub-system is a surgical microscope.

12. A tracker apparatus comprising a transmitter mounted to an image-capture component of an image-capture sub-system, the image-capture component being tracked by an electromagnetic tracking sub-system, the image-capture sub-system configured to capture images during a medical procedure, the electromagnetic tracking sub-system configured to track one or more medical instruments and one or more image-capture components of the image-capture sub-system during a medical procedure, wherein the transmitter is conformally mounted so that the transmitter conforms to a surface of the image-capture component.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the image-capture component to which the transmitter is mounted has a housing comprising electrically-conductive material.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein image-capture sub-system is an X-ray image detector.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein image-capture sub-system is a surgical microscope.