Technique for determining a need for a re-registration of a patient tracker

A computer program product comprising non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions configured to be executed on one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• receiving inertial data acquired by a first acceleration sensor of a first tracker;
• analyzing the inertial data acquired by the first acceleration sensor, or data derived therefrom, to determine at least one first predetermined condition indicative of at least one of
• i) a drift of the first tracker;
• and
• ii) an impact on the first tracker;
• receiving inertial data acquired by a second acceleration sensor of a second tracker;
• analyzing the inertial data acquired by the second acceleration sensor, or data derived therefrom, to determine at least one second predetermined condition indicative of at least one of
• i) a drift of the second tracker;
• and
• ii) an impact on the second tracker;
• re-registering the first tracker coordinate system with the medical image coordinate system based on the registration of the second tracker coordinate system with the medical image coordinate system when the at least one first predetermined condition is fulfilled and the at least one second predetermined condition is not fulfilled;
• and
• navigating the tracked surgical tool based on the re-registration.

A surgical system for navigating a tracked surgical tool based on a re-registration of a first tracker coordinate system associated with a first tracker attached to a patient or image data thereof with a medical image coordinate system associate with medical image data of the patient, wherein the first tracker comprises a first acceleration sensor configured to generate inertial data indicative of an acceleration of the first tracker, a second tracker comprising a second acceleration sensor is attached to the patient, and a second tracker coordinate system associated with the second tracker or image data thereof has been registered with the medical image coordinate system, the system comprising a processor configured for:

• receiving inertial data acquired by the first acceleration sensor of the first tracker;
• analyzing the inertial data acquired by the first acceleration sensor, or data derived therefrom, to determine at least one first predetermined condition indicative of at least one of
• i) a drift of the first tracker;
• and
• ii) an impact on the first tracker;
• receiving inertial data acquired by the second acceleration sensor of the second tracker;
• analyzing the inertial data acquired by the second acceleration sensor, or data derived therefrom, to determine at least one second predetermined condition indicative of at least one of
• i) a drift of the second tracker;
• and
• ii) an impact on the second tracker;
• re-registering the first tracker coordinate system with the medical image coordinate system based on the registration of the second tracker coordinate system with the medical image coordinate system when the at least one first predetermined condition is fulfilled and the at least one second predetermined condition is not fulfilled;
• and
• navigating the tracked surgical tool based on the re-registration.