Medical imaging and navigation system

Medical imaging and navigation system comprising:

• a processor, connected to a display unit and to a database;
• a medical positioning system (MPS), connected to said processor, including a surgical tool MPS sensor being firmly attached to a surgical tool;
• an inspected organ monitor interface, connected to said processor and to an organ monitor, said organ monitor monitoring an organ timing signal associated with an inspected organ;
• and
• a superimposing processor, connected to said processor;
• wherein said processor receives:
• said organ timing signal from said inspected organ monitor interface, as detected by said organ monitor;
• and the location and orientation of said surgical tool, from said medical positioning system, as detected by said surgical tool MPS sensor in a coordinate system;
• wherein said processor selects images from said database, each said selected images having a stored organ timing signal substantially equal to a real-time detected organ timing signal, wherein said superimposing processor superimposes a representation of said surgical tool on said selected images, and wherein said display presents the result of said superimposing;
• wherein said medical positioning system further includes a goggles MPS sensor, wherein said display includes semi-transparent goggles, being attached to said goggles MPS sensor, and wherein said processor selects a viewing plane for said visual representation, according to the location and orientation information received from said goggles MPS sensor;
• so that said location and orientation information of said goggles MPS sensor is acquired within the coordinate system of said surgical tool MPS sensor, thereby eliminating computations for correlating said location and orientation of said goggles MPS sensor and said location and orientation of said surgical tool MPS sensor.

Method for displaying an image sequence of a moving inspected organ, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting an organ timing signal of said inspected organ, said organ timing signal defining an organ timing signal cycle;
• detecting a plurality of two-dimensional images of said inspected organ, using an image detector;
• detecting the location and orientation of said image detector;
• associating each of said two-dimensional images with said image detector location and orientation and with said detected organ timing signal;
• reconstructing a plurality of three-dimensional images from said two-dimensional images, each said three-dimensional images being reconstructed from two-dimensional images selected from said two-dimensional images, said selected two-dimensional images corresponding to a selected position within said organ timing signal cycle;
• selecting one of said three-dimensional images according to a real-time reading of said organ timing signal;
• and
• displaying said selected three-dimensional image;
• prior to said step of reconstructing:
• detecting the location and orientation of a surgical tool;
• and modifying at least one of said two-dimensional images, by discarding a portion of at least one of said two-dimensional images, said portion representing at least a portion of said surgical tool;
• detecting the location and orientation of a surgical tool;
• and modifying at least one of said two-dimensional images, by discarding a portion of at least one of said two-dimensional images, said portion representing at least a portion of said surgical tool;
• wherein said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector, are acquired in a single coordinate system, thereby eliminating computations for correlating said location and orientation of said transducer MPS sensor and said location and orientation of said surgical MPS sensor.

Method for displaying an image sequence of a moving inspected organ, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting an organ timing signal of said inspected organ, said organ timing signal defining an organ timing signal cycle;
• selecting one of a previously stored three-dimensional images according to a real-time reading of said organ timing signal;
• detecting the location and orientation of a surgical tool;
• superimposing a representation of said surgical tool onto said selected three-dimensional image;
• and
• displaying said superimposed three-dimensional image;
• further comprising the following steps prior to said step of selecting:
• detecting a plurality of two-dimensional images of said inspected organ, using an image detector;
• detecting the location and orientation of said image detector;
• associating each of said two-dimensional images with said location and orientation of said two-dimensional image and with a reading of said organ timing signal detected at the time of acquiring said two-dimensional image;
• and
• reconstructing a plurality of three-dimensional images from said two-dimensional images, each said three-dimensional images being reconstructed from two-dimensional images selected from said two-dimensional images, said selected two-dimensional images corresponding to a selected position within said organ timing signal cycle;
• wherein said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector, are acquired in a single coordinate system, thereby eliminating computations for correlating said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector.

Method for displaying an image sequence of a moving inspected organ, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting an organ timing signal of said inspected organ, said organ timing signal defining an organ timing signal cycle;
• detecting the location and orientation of a point of view of a user;
• selecting one of a previously stored three-dimensional images according to a real-time reading of said organ timing signal;
• rendering said selected three-dimensional image according to said detected location and orientation of said point of view;
• and
• displaying said selected three-dimensional image;
• further comprising the following steps prior to said step of selecting:
• detecting a plurality of two-dimensional images of said inspected organ, using an image detector;
• detecting the location and orientation of said image detector;
• associating each of said two-dimensional images with said location and orientation of said two-dimensional image and with a reading of said organ timing signal detected at the time of acquiring said two-dimensional image;
• and
• reconstructing a plurality of three-dimensional images from said two-dimensional images, each said three-dimensional images being reconstructed from two-dimensional images selected from said two-dimensional images, said selected two-dimensional images corresponding to a selected position within said organ timing signal cycle;
• further comprising the following steps prior to said step of reconstructing;
• detecting the location and orientation of a surgical tool;
• and
• modifying at least one of said two-dimensional images, by discarding a portion of at least one of said two-dimensional images, said portion representing at least a portion of said surgical tool;
• wherein said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector, are acquired in a single coordinate system, thereby eliminating computations for correlating said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector.

Method for displaying an image sequence of a moving inspected organ, each image in said image sequence being associated with the location and orientation thereof within a predetermined coordinate system, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting an organ timing signal of said inspected organ;
• selecting one of a previously stored two-dimensional images according to a real-time reading of said organ timing signal;
• and
• displaying said selected two-dimensional image;
• further comprising the following steps, before said step of displaying:
• detecting the location and orientation of a surgical tool;
• and
• projecting a representation of said surgical tool onto said selected two-dimensional image;
• wherein said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector, are acquired in a single coordinate system, thereby eliminating computations for correlating said detected location and orientation of said surgical tool and said detected location and orientation of said image detector.