Position tracking and imaging system with error detection for use in medical applications

• US 5,676,673 A
• Filed: 04/24/1996
• Issued: 10/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visualization Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Ferre, Maurice R., Tieman, James S., Jakab, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Glenn
• Application Number:
  US08/638,945
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 606/130, 604/116, 378/4, 378/205, 378/206, 433/72, 128/653.1-653.5
• US Class Current: 606/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00464 for use with different instruments with hole for different instruments A61B2017/22072
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00477 Coupling A61B2017/0046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00482 with a code
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• 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 2090/0818 Redundant systems, e.g. using two independent measuring systems and comparing the signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/363 Use of fiducial points
• 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 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/10 for stereotaxic surgery, e.g. frame-based stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/14 Fixators for body parts, e.g. skull clamps; Constructional details of fixators, e.g. pins
• 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: A61B 90/39 : Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 : using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/004 : for measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 : Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images

Abstract

A system for monitoring the position of a medical instrument with respect to a patient'"'"'s body and for displaying at least one of a plurality of prerecorded images of said body responsive to the position of said medical instrument. In one embodiment the system includes a reference unit secured from movement with respect to the patient'"'"'s body such that said reference unit is substantially immobile with respect to a target operation site. The system also includes a remote unit for attachment to the medical instrument. A field generator may be associated with one of the units for generating a position characteristic field in an area including the target operation site. One or more field sensors may be associated with either of the units responsive to the presence of the position characteristic field for producing one or more sensor output signals representative of said sensed field. A position detector in communication with the sensor output signal produces position data representative of the position of the remote unit with respect to the reference unit. An output display in communication with the position detector displays at least one of the prerecorded images responsive to the position data.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the position of a medical instrument with respect to a patient'"'"'s body, said system comprising:

a body attachment unit securable to said patient'"'"'s body;

a medical instrument;

a position characteristic field transmitter attached to one of said body attachment unit and said medical instrument for transmitting a position characteristic field;

a position characteristic field sensor unit attached to the other of said attachment unit and said medical instrument, said position characteristic field sensor unit including two sensors separated from one another by a fixed distance; and

error detection means for identifying an error condition with respect to said position characteristic field.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said error detection means includes means for determining the positions of two virtual points, each of which lies in a different plane that is transverse to the axis joining the centers of said sensors, wherein one of said planes is positioned between said sensors and the other of said planes is not positioned between said sensors.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said planes are equidistant from the center of one of said sensors.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said virtual points are equidistant from the center of one of said sensors.

5. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for determining the positions of two virtual points generates virtual point position information indicative of the positions of said virtual points.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said error detection means further includes means for comparing said virtual point position information with known position data for said virtual points.

7. A system for monitoring the position of a medical instrument with respect to a patient'"'"'s body, said system comprising:

a body attachment unit securable to said patient'"'"'s body, said body attachment unit including a position characteristic field transmitter attached thereto for transmitting a position characteristic field;

a medical instrument including first and second position characteristic field sensors separated from one another by a fixed distance; and

error detection means for identifying an error condition with respect to said position characteristic field, said error detection means including means for determining the positions of two virtual points, each of which lies in a different plane that is transverse to the axis joining the centers of said sensors, wherein one of said planes is positioned between said sensors and the other of said planes is not positioned between said sensors.

8. A system for monitoring the position of a medical instrument with respect to a patient'"'"'s body and for displaying prerecorded computerized tomography scan images of said patient'"'"'s body responsive to the position of said medical instrument with respect to said patient'"'"'s body, said system comprising:

a body attachment unit securable to said patient'"'"'s body, said body attachment unit including a position characteristic field transmitter attached thereto for transmitting a position characteristic field;

a medical instrument including first and second position characteristic field sensors separated from one another by a fixed distance;

error detection means for identifying an error condition with respect to said position characteristic field, said error detection means including means for determining the positions of two virtual points, each of which lies in a different plane that is transverse to the axis joining the centers of said sensors, wherein one of said planes is positioned between said sensors and the other of said planes is not positioned between said sensors, and further including means for comparing measured position information for said virtual points with prerecorded calibration position information for said virtual points; and

display means for displaying prerecorded computerized tomography scan images.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said display means is responsive to said error detection means for displaying an error condition identified by said error detection means.