Method and apparatus for calibrating non-linear instruments

• US 7,636,595 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surgical Navigation Technologies, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Navigation Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Marquart, Joel G, Hunter, Mark W
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luong; Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/976,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20060094958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 600/411, 600/424, 600/427, 606/81
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1662 for particular parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1666 for the acetabulum
• 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 2034/256 having a database of accessory information, e.g. including context sensitive help or scientific articles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3929 Active markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3941 Photoluminescent markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3945 Active visible markers, e.g. light emitting diodes
• 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 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/94 coded with symbols, e.g. text
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/34 Acetabular cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/4609 of acetabular cups
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3403 Polar aperture
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4629 connected to the endoprosthesis or implant via a threaded connection
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4633 : for selection of endoprosthetic joints or for pre-operative planning
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/4688 : having operating or control means

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing a calibration and navigation of a member. The member may be calibrated relative to a selected portion, such as a sensor on an instrument. The calibrated member may then be navigated with a selected system. The calibration technique can be infinitely flexible and not rigid or designed for specific components. Moreover, the calibration may occur when the member is interconnected to an end of the instrument that is non-co-axial with another end of the instrument.

Claims

1. A system to navigate an instrument relative to a portion of a patient'"'"'s anatomy, comprising:

an instrument including an engaging end, a working end, and a non-linear shaft extending between said engaging end and said working end;

a member selectively engageable to said engaging end such that said member is operable to be engaged and disengaged from said engaging end;

a first tracking sensor interconnected with said instrument at said working end of said shaft; and

a tracking system configured to track said first tracking sensor;

wherein said tracking system comprises a processor configured to determine an orientation of said member relative to said first tracking sensor when said member is engaged to said engaging end by;

determining at least three points on a portion of said member;

determining a plane of the first member based at least in part upon the determined three points;

confirming the accuracy of the determined plane by;

determining a fourth point on the portion of the first member that should be on the determined plane; and

determining whether the fourth point is on the determined plane;

wherein said engaging end defines a first axis that is non-coaxial with a second axis defined by said working end such that said first tracking sensor is connected to the working end of the shaft that is non-coaxial and non-linear with said engaging end.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a probe having a second tracking sensor;

wherein said first tracking sensor and said second tracking sensor can be tracked relative to one another.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said first tracking sensor or said second tracking sensor is selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, an acoustic sensor, a radiation sensor, gravimetric sensor, and combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said member defines a portion operable to be selectively touched with said probe to determine a point in image space relative to said first tracking sensor of said portion.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging system operable to obtain image data of the patient; and

a display to display an image of the patient based upon the image data and a rendering of the member.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said instrument is selected from the group consisting of an impactor, a driver, an inserter, a handle, and combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said member is selected from the group consisting of an implant, a tool, a rasp, a reamer, a drill, an acetabular implant, an acetabular reamer, a femoral implant, a femoral rasp, a tibial implant, a humeral head implant, a glenoid reamer, and combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said member includes an acetabular implant operable to be positioned into an acetabulum of the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said member includes a reamer operable to interconnect with said instrument to ream an acetabulum of the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said member includes an attachment member having a unique dimension, wherein the unique dimension is stored in a memory system accessible by a processor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said first tracking sensor is integral with said instrument.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said tracking system is operable to determine at least a portion of a geometry defined by said member including a plane defined by said member.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said member is an acetabular implant and said plane is defined by a rim of said acetabular implant.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said member has a geometry defined by a vector extending through a plane defined by said member.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said tracking system is operable to determine an angle between said vector and said patient.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said vector originates at a point substantially at an apex of the member wherein a distance between the point and the plane define a depth of said member.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said member includes an attachment member including a unique dimension.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said attachment member includes at least one of an acetabular implant or reamer each including a unique depth.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said member includes indicia.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said first tracking sensor is removeably coupled to said instrument.

21. A method of determining a position of a first member relative to an instrument, comprising:

interconnecting a first tracking sensor with the instrument;

interconnecting the first member with the instrument;

determining at least three points on a portion of said member;

determining a plane of the first member based at least in part upon the determined three points;

confirming the accuracy of the determined plane by;

determining a fourth point on the portion of the first member that should be on the determined plane; and

determining whether the fourth point is on the determined plane; and

determining a vector of the first member through the plane.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

tracking a second tracking sensor interconnected with a probe relative to the first member after the first member is interconnected with the instrument.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of said first tracking sensor and said second tracking sensor is selected from the group consisting of an acoustic tracking sensor, an electromagnetic tracking sensor, a radiation tracking sensor, an optical tracking sensor, a gravimetric sensor, and combinations thereof.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein tracking a second tracking sensor includes touching at least three points on said first member with the probe and wherein determining a plane of the first member includes determining a plane defined by the three points.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining a vector includes touching a vector point on the first member and defining a vector originating at the vector point through the determined plane.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein tracking a second tracking sensor relative to the first tracking sensor includes tracing at least a portion of the first member with the probe to define a surface of the first member.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the probe is touched to indicia on the member.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

selecting the instrument to include a substantially non-linear portion.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein interconnecting a first tracking sensor with the instrument includes positioning the first tracking sensor at a first end of the instrument that is interconnected with a second end of the instrument by the non-linear portion.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein interconnecting the first member and the instrument includes interconnecting the first member near the second end of the instrument;

wherein the first tracking sensor is connected to a portion of the instrument that is non-linear with the second end.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

navigating the determined plane and the determined vector relative to a portion of a patient'"'"'s anatomy for moving the first member relative to the patient'"'"'s anatomy.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

superimposing an icon representing at least the plane or the vector on an image of the patient.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

superimposing a three dimensional graphical rendering of the member on an image of the patient.

34. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

selecting the first member to interconnect with the instrument, wherein the first member is a reamer, an acetabular implant, a femoral implant, a tibial implant, an orthopedic implant, or a tool.

35. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of determining a plane or determining a vector is performed by a processor.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

providing a memory system accessible by said processor;

wherein said memory system includes a lookup table including data regarding a plurality of the members.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said plurality of members includes a plurality of unique dimensions stored in the lookup table.

38. The method of claim 21, wherein determining at least three points includes determining at least three points substantially equal distance apart to define the plane.

39. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

selecting a second member;

interconnecting the second member with the instrument after removing the first member from the instrument; and

transforming at least one of the plane and the vector based upon a different dimension of said second member.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

providing a lookup table of the dimensions of the first member and the second member;

wherein transforming at least one of the vector on the plane is based upon the dimensions stored in the lookup table.

41. The method of claim 21, wherein if the fourth point is determined to not be on the determined plane determining at least three additional points.

42. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

touching a probe including a second tracking sensor to each of the three points and the fourth point.

43. A method of navigating a member relative to an anatomy of a patient, comprising:

interconnecting a first tracking sensor with an instrument;

interconnecting a member with the instrument;

tracking a probe to determine at least three points defined by the member to define a plane;

confirming the accuracy of the defined plane by tracking a probe to determine a fourth point on the member that should be on the defined plane and determining whether the fourth point is on the defined plane;

tracking a probe to determine a fifth point to define a vector through the plane relative to the member;

displaying the plane and the vector; and

navigating the member relative to the anatomy based at least in part on the displayed plane and vector.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

selecting the instrument to include a substantially non-linear portion extending between a first end and a second end.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein said instrument includes a first end that is substantially non-coaxial with a second end.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein interconnecting the first tracking sensor includes interconnecting the first tracking sensor with the first end or the second end of the instrument.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein interconnecting the member with the instrument includes interconnecting the member with the other of the first end or second end of the instrument.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein tracking a probe to determine at least three points defined by the member includes touching the probe to at least three distinct points defined by the member.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the points tracked are present on a rim of a member selected from the group consisting of an acetabular implant, a reamer, a femoral implant, a femoral rasp, and a tibial implant.

50. The method of claim 43, wherein tracking a second tracking sensor relative to the first tracking sensor includes tracking with a tracking system.

51. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

collecting image data of the anatomy of the patient with an imaging system;

displaying an image based upon the image data collected;

wherein navigating the member relative to the anatomy includes displaying an icon of the member relative to the image displayed.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein displaying the member includes displaying a three dimensional representation of the member relative to the image.

53. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

tracking the probe to determine a plurality of points to define a three dimensional shape of the member; and

displaying the three dimensional shape of the member on a display relative to image data of the patient.

54. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

providing a plurality of members each including a unique dimension; and

transforming the defined plane and the defined vector of the member based upon the unique dimension of each of the plurality of the members.

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising:

displaying the plane and the vector transformed based upon the unique dimensions of one of the plurality of members interconnected with the instrument.

56. The method of claim 43, wherein if the fourth point is determined to not be on the determined plane determining at least three additional points.

57. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

touching a probe including a second tracking sensor to each of the three points and the fourth point.

58. The method of claim 43, wherein the probe is touched to indicia on the member.

59. A method of determining a position of a first member relative to a first tracking sensor on an instrument, comprising:

interconnecting the first tracking sensor with the instrument;

interconnecting the first member with the instrument;

obtaining a two dimensional image data of the first member along at least two axes of the first member;

transforming the two dimensional data into a three dimensional geometry data of the first member with a processor;

determining a plane of the first member and determining a vector of the first member from the three dimensional transformation geometry data;

confirming accuracy of the determined plane by;

determining a point on the portion of said first member that should be on the determined plane; and

determining whether the point is on the determined plane; and

determining a position of the first member relative to the first tracking sensor on the instrument.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

locating at least three points on a portion of said first member;

determining the plane of the first member based at least in part upon the located three points; and

determining the vector relative to the plane from a point on the first member.