Method and system for guiding a diagnostic or therapeutic instrument towards a target region inside the patient's body
AssigneeVTarget Ltd.
InventorsYaron Front, Gal Ben-David
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and system are presented for guiding a diagnostic or therapeutic instrument towards a correct target inside the patient's body. A combined image obtained by registering structural and functional images of at least a portion of the patient's body including the target is used together with a guiding device. The guiding device has an indicator associated with the instrument, and is operable for presenting data indicative of a position of a location on the instrument relative to any other point in the at least portion of the patient's body. The guiding device is connectable to a computer device displaying the combined image and operable thereby for guiding the instrument towards the target.
Claims13
A method for guiding an instrument towards a correct target inside the patient's body, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing an image of at least a portion of the patient's body including said target, wherein said image presents a combined image of registered structural and functional images of said at least portion of the patient's body;
- (ii) providing data indicative of a position of a location on the instrument relative to any other point in said at least portion of the patient's body;
- and
- (iii) directing the instrument to said target.
A method for accessing a target in a patient's body with an instrument, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a guiding device having a frame to be secured to the patient and a stereotactic guide assembly, wherein the frame carries an indicator in the form of at least three markers;
- (b) rigidly securing said frame to the patient;
- (c) imaging at least a portion of the patient's body including the target, using a structural imaging modality, to produce a structural image of the at least portion of the patient's body, and acquiring a series of images to image all the markers and estimate their location in said structural image;
- (d) imaging the at least portion of the patient's body using a functional imaging modality to produce a functional image of the at least portion of the patient's body;
- and
- (e) registering the functional image with the structural image to produce a combined image;
- (f) rigidly attaching said stereotactic guide assembly to said frame, and
- (g) directing the instrument to the target, using the stereotactic guide, with reference to said markers as imaged in the combined image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.