Apparatus and method for measuring anatomical objects using coordinated fluoroscopy

A computer readable storage medium on which is recorded program instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to undertake the following steps:

• displaying a first fluoroscopic image taken of an anatomical feature from a first angle, the first fluoroscopic image being registered to a common three-dimensional coordinate system;
• receiving an indication of position within the first fluoroscopic image of a three-dimensional virtual surgical implant, the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant being defined with reference to the common three-dimensional coordinate system and having one or more attributes corresponding to one or more physical characteristics of the surgical implant to be implanted in a patient;
• displaying a second fluoroscopic image taken of the anatomical feature from a second angle, the second fluoroscopic image being registered to the common three-dimensional coordinate system;
• computer generating on the first and second fluoroscopic images two dimensional projections of the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant:
• and updating the two-dimensional projections of the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant in the first fluoroscopic image in response to a user manipulating the two-dimensional projections of the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant in the second fluoroscopic image.

A computer based method for planning a size and shape of a surgical object for implementation in a patient, comprising:

• generating a first fluoroscopic image of an anatomical region taken from a first direction;
• generating a second fluoroscopic image of the anatomical region taken from a second direction;
• registering the first and second fluoroscopic images to a common three-dimensional coordinate system;
• displaying the first and second fluoroscopic images;
• defining a three-dimensional virtual surgical implant in the common three-dimensional coordinate system;
• projecting first and second two-dimensional projections of the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant onto the first and second fluoroscopic images along the first and second directions, respectively;
• moving the first and second two-dimensional projections of the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant to align the three-dimensional virtual surgical implant to a common anatomical structure displayed in the first and second fluoroscopic images.

A surgical planning system comprising:

• a fluoroscopic imaging device for generating a first fluoroscopic image of an anatomical region taken from a first direction and a second fluoroscopic image of the anatomical region taken from a second direction;
• at least one video monitor for displaying at least the first and second fluoroscopic images;
• means for registering the first and second fluoroscopic images to a common three-dimensional coordinate system;
• a computer memory storing a plurality of predefined virtual surgical implants;
• a means for positioning a selected one of the virtual surgical implants in the three-dimensional coordinate system;
• a means for projecting the selected virtual surgical implant along the first and second directions onto the first and second fluoroscopic images;
• an input device for at least translating and rotating the virtual surgical implant to align the virtual surgical implant to a common anatomical structure displayed in the first and second fluoroscopic images.