Patient-specific guides to improve point registration accuracy in surgical navigation

Abstract

The present technology relates generally to devices for electronically registering a surgical patient to his or her own pre-surgical image scan and associated systems and methods. In some embodiments, a surgical navigation registration device configured in accordance with the technology comprises a patient-specific inner surface having at least one contour element that matches a contour of an outer surface of at least a portion of the patient's anatomy, and at least three registration pathways incorporated in the device and configured to mate with the tip of a surgical navigation system tool, such as a pointer. The registration pathways may be configured to enable the tip of the surgical navigation system tool to directly contact the patient's anatomy or, alternatively, to prevent the tip of the surgical navigation system tool from directly contacting the patient's anatomy. The registration pathways may comprise channels that extend through the patient-specific inner surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.