Method and apparatus for collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery

An article of manufacture for collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

• (a) determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space by processing physical space data collected by probing a plurality of physical surface points of surgically exposed tissue of a living patient, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of the physical surface points;
• (b) using the point-based registrations to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of an ablative instrument used to perform the image-guided surgery, an ablation zone of the ablative instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated;
• and
• (c) updating the image data on a periodic basis.

A method of collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the method comprising:

• (a) surgically exposing tissue of a living patient;
• (b) collecting physical space data by probing a plurality of physical surface points of the exposed tissue, the physical space data providing three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates for each of the physical surface points;
• (c) based on the physical space data collected in step (b), determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space;
• (d) using the registrations determined in step (c) to map into image space, image data describing the physical space of an ablative instrument used to perform the image-guided surgery, an ablation zone of the instrument, the tissue, and a particular portion of the tissue to be resected or ablated;
• and
• (e) updating the image data on a periodic basis.