Method and apparatus for tracking a position of a medical device

A method of tracking a position of a medical device relative to a target site of a patient lumen, the method comprising:

• providing a trackable guidewire, the guidewire having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal guidewire ends separated by a guidewire body, the guidewire including at least one sensor configured to provide a signal corresponding to a three-dimensional position in space to an associated tracking system, the guidewire including at least one retention mechanism for maintaining the medical device in a predetermined retention position longitudinally along the guidewire body;
• placing the medical device in the retention position;
• maintaining the medical device in the retention position via the retention mechanism;
• placing the distal guidewire end into the patient lumen;
• advancing the distal guidewire end and at least a portion of the guidewire body through at least a portion of the patient lumen;
• determining, by the associated tracking system, a three-dimensional position of the at least one sensor in a coordinate system of the associated tracking system;
• and
• determining a relative position of the medical device with respect to geometry of the patient lumen based on the three-dimensional position of the at least one sensor.