Fusion of ultrasound images with pre-procedure structural 3-d image data for ultrasound image-guided procedures

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• acquiring, with a single transducer array having a long axis, either a live ultrasound image of a sagittal plane during a procedure or 3-D volumetric ultrasound data while rotating the single transducer array about an axis that is parallel to the long axis of the transducer array;
• resampling the 3-D volumetric ultrasound data to generate a set of resampled ultrasound planes that are approximately orthogonal to a surface of tissue of interest;
• segmenting a first contour of the tissue of interest in the set of resampled ultrasound planes;
• registering the first contour and a second contour of the tissue of interest in 3-D pre-procedure MR image data to create a fused 3-D image;
• and
• superimposing the live ultrasound image with contours of features segmented from the pre-procedure 3-D MR image data on a display monitor.

A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• acquire, with a single transducer array having a long axis, either a live ultrasound image of a sagittal plane during a procedure or 3-D volumetric ultrasound data while rotating the single transducer array about an axis that is parallel to the long axis of the transducer array;
• resample the 3-D volumetric ultrasound data to generate a set of resampled ultrasound planes that are approximately orthogonal to a surface of tissue of interest;
• segment a first contour of the tissue of interest in the set of sagittal ultrasound planes;
• register the first contour and a second contour of the tissue of interest in 3-D pre-procedure MR data to create a fused image;
• and
• superimpose the live ultrasound image with contours of features segmented from the pre-procedure 3-D MR image data on a display monitor.