Radiation-free position calibration of a fluoroscope

A fluoroscopic position calibration system for calibrating a position of a fluoroscopic imaging system having a field of view so that a region of interest of a patient body is at a center of the field of view, said apparatus comprising:

• an interface for communicating with a fluoroscopic imaging system and a position tracking system;
• and
• a processor which is configured to register the fluoroscopic imaging system and a position tracking system to common frame of reference using a fluoroscopic image and position data to a common frame of reference by imaging using the fluoroscopic imaging system one or more objects having known coordinates in a first coordinate system of the position tracking system, and registering the first coordinate system of the position tracking system with a second coordinate system of the fluoroscopic imaging system;
• to mark a region of interest in a patient body comprising measuring using respective positions of one or more sensors of the position tracking system that are positioned at known locations relative to the region of interest, and to set the field of view of the fluoroscopic imaging system such that the region of interest appears at a center of the field of view wherein to set the field of view includes subsequent repositioning of the patient body without applying any fluoroscopic radiation to the patient relative to the fluoroscopic imaging system in accord with instructions provided by the processor when the region of interest did not previously appear centered in the field of view of fluoroscopic imaging system;
• wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the median location of a plurality of intra-body probes within the body of the patient, and to estimate a location of the region of interest based on the median location.

A system comprising:

• a position tracking system;
• a fluoroscopic tracking system;
• and
• a fluoroscopic position calibration system for calibrating a position of a fluoroscopic imaging system having a field of view so that a region of interest of a patient body is at a center of the field of view, said apparatus comprising:
• an interface for communicating with a fluoroscopic imaging system and a position tracking system;
• and
• a processor which is configured to register the fluoroscopic imaging system and a position tracking system to common frame of reference using a fluoroscopic image and position data to a common frame of reference by imaging using the fluoroscopic imaging system one or more objects having known coordinates in a first coordinate system of the position tracking system, and registering the first coordinate system of the position tracking system with a second coordinate system of the fluoroscopic imaging system to mark a region of interest in a patient body comprising measuring using respective positions of one or more sensors of the position tracking system that are positioned at known locations relative to the region of interest, and to set the field of view of the fluoroscopic imaging system such that the region of interest appears at a center of the field of view wherein to set the field of view includes subsequent repositioning of the patient body without applying any fluoroscopic radiation to the patient relative to the fluoroscopic imaging system in accord with instructions provided by the processor when the region of interest did not previously appear centered in the field of view of fluoroscopic imaging system;
• wherein the processor is further configured to calculate the median location of a plurality of intra-body probes within the body of the patient, and to estimate a location of the region of interest based on the median location.