Apparatuses and methods for endobronchial navigation to and confirmation of the location of a target tissue and percutaneous interception of the target tissue

The method of 1 further comprising:

• matching an atlas model to the image dataset of the airway of the patient, the matching comprising deforming the atlas model to the image dataset of the airway of the patient, wherein the atlas model comprises anatomical structures;
• identifying anatomical structures to be avoided by the trajectory of a percutaneous device;
• and
• calculating a trajectory from the confirmed location of the target tissue to the corresponding entry point on the patient wherein the trajectory avoids some or all of the anatomical structures.

A method of navigating a percutaneous needle to a target tissue within a patient using a navigation system, the navigation system comprising a localization device, an electromagnetic field generator, a display, and a pre-acquired image dataset of an airway of the patient, the navigation system being adapted to display images from the image dataset and to provide location information of a medical device within a patient in relation to a patient tracking device comprising a plurality of localization elements, the method comprising:

• affixing the patient tracking device to an external surface of the patient;
• tracking the location of the patient tracking device using the navigation system to monitor the respiratory state of the patient;
• displaying an image from the image dataset on the display as a function of the monitored respiratory state, wherein the displayed image is registered to the patient tracking device;
• determining an initial location of the target tissue in the image dataset;
• navigating a steerable catheter through the airway of the patient to a position proximate the initial location, the steerable catheter having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion terminating in a tip, a working channel extending there between, and a localization element disposed proximate the distal end portion thereof;
• tracking the location of the localization element of the steerable catheter in the airway using the navigation system;
• generating one or more images of the target tissue using an imaging device inserted into the working channel of the steerable catheter;
• determining a confirmed location of the target tissue in relation to the patient tracking device using the generated images and the tracked location of the localization element;
• recording the confirmed location of the target tissue, the recording comprising four-dimensional data comprising a three-dimensional location of the confirmed target tissue in relation to the patient tracking device and the respiratory state of the patient at the time the location of the target tissue was confirmed and applying the confirmed location of the target tissue to an image from the image dataset depicting the airway at the respiratory state of the patient at the time the location of the target tissue was confirmed;
• displaying the confirmed location of the target tissue on the display of the navigation system in an image from the image dataset, the displayed image depicting the airway at the respiratory state of the patient at the time the location of the target tissue was confirmed;
• displaying a trajectory of a percutaneous device from an entry point on the patient's body to the confirmed location on the display of the navigation system, the percutaneous device comprising a localization element;
• inserting the percutaneous device into the patient and navigating the percutaneous device to the confirmed location;
• and
• intercepting the target tissue at the confirmed location.