Real-time tracking for fusing ultrasound imagery and x-ray imagery

A registration system (100), comprising

• a hybrid marker (110) affixed to an X-ray imaging system (190);
• a camera system (140), separate from the X-ray imaging system (190), and with a line of sight to the hybrid marker (110) that is maintained during a procedure;
• and
• a controller (S160) comprising a memory (162) that stores instructions, and a processor (161) that executes the instructions,
• wherein, when executed by the processor (161), the instructions cause the controller (160) to execute a process comprising:
• obtaining a fluoroscopic X-ray image (S810) from the X-ray imaging system (190), and a visual image (S820) of the hybrid marker (110) affixed to the X-ray imaging system (190) from the camera system (140);
• estimating a transformation (S830) between the hybrid marker (110) and the X-ray imaging system (190), based on the fluoroscopic X-ray image and the visual image, and estimating a transformation (S840) between the hybrid marker (110) and the camera system (140) based on the visual image;
• and
• registering ultrasound images S850) from an ultrasound system (156) to the fluoroscopic X-ray image from the X-ray imaging system (190) based on the transformation estimated between the hybrid marker (110) and the X-ray imaging system (190).

A method of registering imagery, comprising:

• obtaining (S810), from an X-ray imaging system (190) a fluoroscopic X-ray image;
• obtaining (S820), from a camera system (140) separate from the X-ray imaging system (190), a visual image of a hybrid marker (110) affixed to the X-ray imaging system (190);
• estimating a transformation (S830) between the hybrid marker (110) and the X-ray imaging system (190), based on the fluoroscopic X-ray image and the visual image, and estimating a transformation (S840) between the hybrid marker (110) and the camera system (140) based on the visual image;
• and
• registering (S850) ultrasound images from an ultrasound system (156) to the fluoroscopic X-ray image from the X-ray imaging system (190) based on the transformation estimated between the hybrid marker (110) and the X-ray imaging system (190).