Claims
- 1. A method of collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the method comprising:
(a) surgically exposing tissue of a living patient; (b) collecting physical space data by (i) illuminating the surface of the exposed tissue with laser light, (ii) receiving light reflected from the illuminated surface of the exposed tissue, and (iii) performing an analysis on the reflected light, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of a plurality of scanned surface points; (c) based on the physical space data collected in step (b), determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space; and (d) using the registrations determined in step (c) to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of an ablative instrument used to perform the image-guided surgery, an ablation zone of the instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated.
- 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
(e) prior to performing the image-guided surgery, scanning tissue of the patient to acquire, store and process a 3-D reference; (f) creating a triangularized mesh based on the scanned tissue of step (e); and (g) determining the volumetric center of a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated during the surgery, wherein an algorithm using the triangularized mesh and the physical space data collected in step (b) is implemented to determine the registrations in step (c).
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the algorithm is an iterative closest point (ICP) registration algorithm.
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the tissue is the patient's liver and the particular portion of tissue to be resected or ablated is a hepatic metastatic tumor.
- 5. Apparatus for collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a laser scanner for collecting physical space data by (i) illuminating the surface of surgically exposed tissue of a living patient with laser light, (ii) receiving light reflected from the illuminated surface of the exposed tissue, and (iii) performing an analysis on the reflected light, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of a plurality of scanned surface points; (b) an ablative instrument for resecting or ablating a particular portion of the exposed tissue; and (c) an image data processor comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for:
(i) based on the physical space data collected by the laser scanner, determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space; and (ii) using the point-based registrations to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of the ablative instrument, an ablation zone of the instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated.
- 6. An article of manufacture for collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
(a) determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space by processing physical space data collected by (i) illuminating the surface of surgically exposed tissue of a living patient with laser light, (ii) receiving light reflected from the illuminated surface of the exposed tissue, and (iii) performing an analysis on the reflected light, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of the physical surface points; and (b) using the point-based registrations to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of an ablative instrument used to perform the image-guided surgery, an ablation zone of the ablative instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated.
- 7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:
(c) creating a triangularized mesh based on a 3-D reference of tissue of the patient, the 3-D reference being acquired, stored and processed prior to the tissue being surgically exposed; (d) determining the volumetric center of a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated during the surgery; and (e) implementing an algorithm using the triangularized mesh and the physical space data to determine the point-based registrations.
- 8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the algorithm is an iterative closest point (ICP) registration algorithm.
- 9. A method of collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the method comprising:
(a) surgically exposing tissue of a living patient; (b) collecting physical space data by (i) establishing one or more magnetic fields of known shape and size in the proximity of the exposed tissue, (ii) acquiring data associated with the strength of the magnetic fields, and (iii) performing an analysis on the acquired data, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of a plurality of scanned surface points; (c) based on the physical space data collected in step (b), determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space; and (d) using the registrations determined in step (c) to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of an ablative instrument used to perform the image-guided surgery, an ablation zone of the instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/894,732, filed Jun. 27, 2001, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Collecting and Processing Physical Space Data for Use While Performing Image-Guided Surgery,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) (NIH grants NIGMS GM52798, NRSA #1 F32 DK 09671-01 SB and R21 CA 91352-01; and NSF grants BES-9703714) and the U.S. Government may therefore have certain rights in this invention.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09894732 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Child |
10418187 |
Apr 2003 |
US |