Method and apparatus for real time quantitative three-dimensional image reconstruction of a moving organ and intra-body navigation

Method for displaying an image sequence of a cyclically moving inspected organ that moves according to an organ motion cycle, comprising the steps of:

• detecting an organ timing signal of said inspected organ, said organ timing signal including a plurality of occurrences within said organ motion cycle;
• acquiring during said procedure of detecting a plurality of two-dimensional images of said inspected organ from different locations and orientations using an image detector;
• detecting for each of said two-dimensional images acquired a respective location and orientation of said image detector;
• associating each of said two-dimensional images with its corresponding respective image detector location and orientation and with a reading of said organ timing signal, which was detected at the same time as the acquisition of a said two-dimensional image, each said reading corresponding to a certain point in said organ motion cycle;
• sorting said two-dimensional images into groups according to said cycle points in said organ motion cycle which correspond to the associated organ timing signal reading corresponding to a certain cycle point in said organ motion cycle;
• reconstructing for each said group of two-dimensional images, a three-dimensional image based on the location and orientation associated with each of said two-dimensional images in a group, each said reconstructed three dimensional images being associated with respective cycle points of said organ motion cycle of said group;
• detecting a real-time organ timing signal of said inspected organ at a time later than the detection of said organ timing signal;
• identifying real-time cycle points within said real-time organ timing signal;
• selecting for each said identified real-time cycle point one of said reconstructed three-dimensional images associated with a cycle point which corresponds to said identified real-time cycle point;
• and
• displaying in real-time a sequence of said selected three-dimensional images.