Apparatus and method for image guided accuracy verification

A method for imaging a dynamic body of a patient having predictable movement during a periodic cycle, comprising:

• a) attaching to the dynamic body:
• i) a first marker at a first location on the patient,
• ii) a second marker at a second location on the patient,
• iii) a third marker at a third location on the patient, and
• iv) a fourth marker at a fourth location on the patient,
• wherein the first, second, third, and fourth locations on the patient move relative to each other during the periodic cycle;
• b) receiving from an imaging device a plurality of 3-D images of the dynamic body over the periodic cycle taken during a first time interval prior to a medical procedure, each image showing a position of the first, second, third, and fourth markers;
• c) attaching to the dynamic body:
• i) a first localization element at the first location,
• ii) a second localization element at the second location,
• iii) a third localization element at the third location, and
• iv) a fourth localization element at the fourth location;
• d) after step c), receiving at a second time during the medical procedure, data identifying positions for the first, second, third, and fourth localization elements;
• and
• e) automatically identifying for the second time an identified image from the plurality of images by:
• i) associating the position of the first, second, and third localization elements with the positions of the first, second, and third markers in the identified image,
• ii) computing an affine transformation for the associated positions;
• iii) applying the computed affine transformation to the fourth localization element to compute an expected position for the fourth marker;
• iv) confirming that the position of the fourth marker in the identified image matches the expected position computed by the affine transformation.