Fluoroscopic tracking and visualization system

A system for use with a fluoroscope that includes a source and an image detector, wherein the system comprises:

• a fixture including a three dimensional array of point-like fluoroscopically opaque markers disposed over a region in a rigid body, said body being configured for disposition between the source and camera such that the array of markers is automatically imaged as an image is acquired by the fluoroscope;
• a tracking assembly including at least a first tracking element associated with the fixture and a second tracking element associated with a tool and configured for automatically determining position data of the fixture with respect to the tool;
• a marker determination unit operative on the fluoroscope image to identify at least a subset of said markers in the image and operative with a table of predefined marker positions to determine camera imaging parameters for the fluoroscope image;
• and
• a correction unit responsive to said camera imaging parameters and to said position data to form a corrected tool navigation fluoroscopic image.

A system for display of tissue images and probe images during a surgical procedure on a patient, such system comprising

• a fixture holding a plurality of radiopaque markers disposed in predefined patterns, said fixture being positionable between a source and an imaging side of a fluoroscope;
• a stored table of position of said markers;
• an image processor operative on a fluoroscopic image to identify imaged markers in the fluoroscopic image and operative with said stored table to model at least camera image plane piercing point and focus data for said image;
• a tracker including a first tracking element securable against movement with respect to said fixture and at least one further tracking element securable against movement with respect to an object of interest such as a tool or a patient, said tracker determining coordinates of said fixture and said object of interest,
• wherein said image processor applies said coordinates together with image positions of the identified imaged markers to model the camera data;
• and
• an image display that applies said camera data to display a corrected fluoroscope image for tool guided surgery.

A system for use with a fluoroscope camera device for intraoperative tracking during a procedure on a patient, such system being of the type including a display for displaying one or more fluoroscope images together with an indication of probe or tissue status or position, and wherein the system comprises:

• a fixed multi-dimensional array of fluoroscopically-imageable markers affixed on or proximate to an imaging assembly of the fluoroscope such that the markers are imaged in each view;
• a tracking assembly including at least a first tracking element referenced to a patient and a second tracking element referenced to said fixed array;
• a marker localization and identification unit operative on image data to identify in real time the position of markers in each fluoroscopic image and to replace the marker images with smooth image values to thereby create an unobstructed real time patient fluoroscopic view of patient tissue;
• and
• a processor operative on detected image markers for integrating said view with patient position, tool position or preexisting image data to depict a trajectory of the surgical probe in said patient tissue intraoperatively in real time.

Apparatus for surgical imaging and probe guidance, such apparatus comprising:

• a fluoroscope having a radiation emitting side and an imaging side, said fluoroscope being moveable to provide two-dimensional projection images through the body of a patient placed in its imaging field
• a tracking system effective to simultaneously determine relative position of a patient, the fluoroscope and a surgical probe
• a calibration fixture securing imageable registration markers positioned such that a plurality of said markers are identifiably imaged in every image taken by the fluoroscope, said calibration fixture being affixed to the fluoroscope so that the fixture is tracked by the tracking system
• at least some of said markers lying at different coordinate positions along an imaging axis and being characterized by defined positions with respect to each other such that angle and spacing of images of said markers are effective to characterize camera parameters for relating a volume region of the patient imaged in each fluoroscopic image to camera focus and optical center, and
• an image processor that operates on images of said markers to model fluoroscope image projection relative to tracked coordinates for each fluoroscope view such that imaged tool position in successive fluoroscope images taken from different orientations is accurately registered in successive images to track actual movement of the probe with respect to the patient.