System for planning the introduction of a needle in a patient's body

A system for planning introduction of a needle in a patient's body, comprising:

• a needle guide configured to be coupled to a needle;
• a localization system configured for tracking the needle guide with respect to the patient's body, the localization system being coupled to (i) a needle tracker is-arranged inside the needle and (ii) a reference marker adapted to be attached to the patient's body to determine a spatial position and orientation of the needle guide relative to the reference marker;
• a processor configured for
• receiving a 3D image, wherein the 3D image includes the reference marker and a part of the needle that has already been inserted into the patient's body,
• determining a virtual position and orientation of the needle with respect to the 3D image using localization data of the needle guide, thereby defining a virtual needle having said virtual position and orientation,
• detecting a part of the needle that has already been inserted into the patient's body as a trace in the 3D medical image,
• computing a distance between the virtual needle and the detected needle, and
• determining a representation of the computed distance;
• a display coupled to the processor for displaying a representation of the virtual needle and the representation of the computed distance between the virtual needle and the detected part of the needle.

A system for planning introduction of a needle in a patient's body, comprising:

• a needle guide configured to be coupled to a needle;
• a localization system configured for tracking the needle guide with respect to the patient's body, the localization system being coupled to (i) a tracker attached to the needle guide and (ii) a reference marker adapted attached to the patient's body to determine a spatial position and orientation of the needle guide relative to the reference marker;
• a processor configured for
• receiving a 3D image, wherein the 3D image includes the reference marker and a part of a needle that has already been inserted into the patient's body;
• determining a virtual position and orientation of the needle with respect to the 3D image using localization data of the needle guide, thereby defining a virtual needle having said virtual position and orientation,
• detecting at least one inserted needle as a trace in the 3D medical image, and
• computing a distance between the virtual needle and the detected needle,
• wherein the trace detected in the 3D medical image is a trace of an additional needle distinct from the virtual needle and that has already been inserted into the patient's body;
• and
• a display coupled to the processor for displaying a representation of the virtual needle and a representation of the computed distance between the virtual needle and the at least one detected additional needle.