Registration of Anatomical Data Sets

• US 20140094694A1
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker European Operations Holdings, LLC (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Moctezuma de la Barrera, Jose Luis
• Granted Patent: US 9,572,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• 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 2090/378 using ultrasound
• 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 5/1073 Measuring volume, e.g. of limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0875 for diagnosis of bone A61B5/4504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5292 using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/30 Devices for illuminating a surgical field, the devices having an interrelation with other surgical devices or with a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30008 Bone
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 : for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for relating additional spatial information associated with one volume data set of an anatomical structure with another volume data set of the anatomical structure where the spatial information is not available. A unique spatial characteristic of the volume data set is identified, such as an image moment of inertia, and an arbitrary reference frame is assigned to the volume data set and correlated with the unique spatial characteristic. The additional spatial information is also correlated with the arbitrary reference frame. The additional spatial information is then correlated to a second volume data set of the anatomical structure by registering the first and second volume data sets based on the unique spatial characteristic. The methods and systems allow registration of different volume data sets of the same anatomical structure and transfer of the additional spatial information without establishing a local reference frame based on predefined landmarks.

Claims

1-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A system for collecting and manipulating a volume data set of an anatomical structure, the system comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining a first volume data set of an anatomical structure of a patient and a second volume data set of the anatomical structure; and

a computer comprising a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the computer is configured to;

calculate an inherent feature of the first volume data set and the second volume data set, wherein the inherent feature has a unique position and orientation in relation to the anatomical structure that can be identified from any reference position;

assign a first arbitrary reference frame to the first volume data set and a second arbitrary reference frame to the second volume data set;

correlate the inherent feature to the first arbitrary reference frame;

associate additional spatial information with the first volume data set, wherein the additional spatial information has a unique spatial relationship correlated with the first arbitrary reference frame;

register the first volume data set with the second volume data set based on the inherent feature; and

correlate the additional spatial information to the second volume data set in registration therewith.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer is further configured to determine the orientation of the anatomical structure or parts thereof with respect to a gravity vector in the first volume data set.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the imaging device comprises an ultrasound probe.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate an image moment of inertia of the first and second volume data sets.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer is further configured to identify functional information in relation to the first volume data set.

44. The system of claim 39, the system further comprising a gravity sensing device configured to identify a gravity vector.

45. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer is further configured to identify movement parameters of a joint.

46. The system of claim 39, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate a unique position and orientation of a third arbitrary reference frame with respect to the first arbitrary reference frame.

47. The system of claim 39, the computer is further configured to assign the first and second arbitrary reference frames without reference to any pre-defined landmark on the anatomical structure.

48. A system for establishing a position of a portion of a bone that has been altered from a normal shape, the system comprising:

an imaging device to collect a first volume data set for a first bone that is unaltered and to collect a second volume data set of a first portion of a second bone,

wherein the first volume data set includes volume data for first and second portions of the first bone; and

a computer comprising a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the computer is configured to;

identify a first unique spatial characteristic of the volume data for the first portion of the first bone;

establish a first arbitrary reference frame for the first volume data set correlated with the first unique spatial characteristic;

identify a unique spatial relation between the first arbitrary reference frame and the second portion of the first bone;

identify the second bone that normally mirrors the first bone about a centerline,

wherein the second bone includes the first portion and a second portion that correspond as substantially mirror structures to the first and second portions of the first bone, respectively, and

wherein the second bone has been altered from a normal shape such that the first portion of the second bone is in an altered position with regard to the second portion of the second bone;

identify a second unique spatial characteristic of the second volume data set,

wherein the second unique spatial characteristic substantially mirrors the first unique spatial characteristic;

register in mirrored correlation the first volume data set with the second volume data by correlating the first unique spatial characteristic with the second unique spatial characteristic; and

re-establish the normal position of the second portion of the second bone to coincide with the position of the second portion of the first bone as related to the registered position of the first portion of the first bone.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the unique spatial relation comprises a positional vector between the volume data for the first portion of the first bone and the volume data for the second portion of the first bone.

50. The system of claim 48, wherein the system is a surgical navigation system and wherein the imaging device comprises an ultrasound probe tracked by the surgical navigation system.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the surgical navigation system comprises a tracking device for tracking positions of each of the first and second portions of the second bone.

52. The system of claim 48, wherein the first arbitrary reference frame is established without reference to any pre-defined landmark on the anatomical structure.

53. The system of claim 48, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate an image moment of inertia of the first volume data set and the second volume data set.

54. A system for registering information associated with a first data set of an anatomical structure to a second data set of the anatomical structure, the system comprising:

an imaging device to collect the first data set of the anatomical structure and the second data set of the anatomical structure;

a computer comprising a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the computer is configured to;

develop additional information for the first data set, wherein the additional information has a unique identifiable spatial relationship to the anatomical structure of the first data set;

establish a first arbitrary reference frame for the first data set, wherein the first arbitrary reference frame is established without reference to any pre-selected landmark on the anatomical structure and the first arbitrary reference frame has a unique spatial relationship to the first data set;

establish a second arbitrary reference frame for the second data set;

transform the first arbitrary reference frame to the second arbitrary reference frame by matching a unique spatial parameter of the first data set with the same unique spatial parameter of the second data set; and

register the additional information with the second data set.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the computer is further configured to:

calculate an inherent feature in the first data set, wherein the inherent feature has a unique position and orientation in relation to the anatomical structure that can be identified from any reference position; and

correlate the inherent feature to the first arbitrary reference frame.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the computer is further configured to:

identify the inherent feature in the second data set; and

correlate the inherent feature to the second arbitrary reference frame.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the system is a surgical navigation system, and wherein the computer is further configured to:

register the first data set with the second data set based on the inherent feature.

58. The system of claim 55, further comprising a display device,

wherein the system is configured to display the additional information in registration with the second data set on the display device;

and

wherein the system is a surgical navigation system.

59. A surgical navigation system for associating spatial information related to a first volume data set of a first anatomical structure with a second volume data set of the first anatomical structure, the system comprising:

a data obtaining device, a computer, and a display device;

wherein the data obtaining device is configured to;

obtain the first volume data set of the first anatomical structure;

obtain the second volume data set of the first anatomical structure;

wherein the computer comprises a processing unit and a memory unit, wherein the computer is configured to;

assign a first arbitrary reference frame to the first volume data set;

calculate an inherent feature in the first volume data set, wherein the inherent feature has a unique position and orientation in relation to the first anatomical structure that can be identified from any reference position;

correlate the inherent feature to the first arbitrary reference frame;

associate additional spatial information with the first volume data set,

wherein the additional spatial information has a unique spatial relationship correlated with the first arbitrary reference frame;

assign a second arbitrary reference frame to the second volume data set;

identify the inherent feature in the second volume data set;

correlate the inherent feature to the second arbitrary reference frame;

register the first volume data set with the second volume data set based on the inherent feature; and

correlate the additional spatial information to the second volume data set in registration therewith;

wherein the display device is configured to display the additional spatial information in registration with the second volume data set on the display device.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate the image moment of inertia of each of the first volume data set and the second volume data set.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein the data obtaining device comprises an ultrasound device that is tracked by the surgical navigation system.

62. The system of claim 59, wherein the computer is further configured to identify a gravity vector and correlate the gravity vector with the first arbitrary reference frame.

63. The system of claim 59, wherein the display device is configured to display the gravity vector in registration with the second volume data set.

64. The system of claim 59, wherein the data obtaining device is configured to:

obtain a third volume data set of a second anatomical structure; and

wherein the computer is further configured to;

assign a third arbitrary reference frame to the third volume data set;

calculate an inherent feature in the third volume data set, wherein the inherent feature in the third volume data set has a unique position and orientation in relation to the second anatomical structure that can be identified from any reference position;

correlate the inherent feature of the third volume data set to the third arbitrary reference frame; and

calculate a unique position and orientation of the third arbitrary reference frame with respect to the first arbitrary reference frame.

65. The system of claim 59, wherein the computer is further configured to calculate functional information about a joint between the first bone and the second bone based on the additional spatial information.