Imaging system and method for use in surgical and interventional medical procedures

An image processing device for generating a display of an image of a patient's internal anatomy during a medical procedure, comprising:

• a memory for storing a high resolution baseline image of the surgical field including the patient's internal anatomy in a baseline orientation and a new image of the surgical field at a low resolution;
• and
• a processor configured to;
• digitally manipulate the high resolution baseline image to produce a baseline image set including representative images of the baseline image at a plurality of permutations of movements of the baseline image from the baseline orientation;
• perform software instructions for comparing the new image to the representative images in the baseline image set and selecting the representative image having an acceptable degree of correlation with the new image;
• digitally merge the selected representative image with the new image;
• and
• generate signals for displaying the merged image on a display device.

A method for generating a display of an image of a patient's internal anatomy in a surgical field during a medical procedure, comprising:

• acquiring an image of the surgical field with the imaging device in a first orientation;
• displaying the acquired image;
• moving the imaging device, patient, or table from the first orientation;
• tracking the movement of the imaging device, patient, or table from the first orientation;
• moving the displayed image in relation to the tracked movement prior to acquiring a new image of the surgical field with the imaging device;
• and
• overlaying indicia indicative of a desired movement of the displayed image.

A method for generating a display of an image of a patient's internal anatomy in a surgical field during a medical procedure, in which the medical procedure includes tools, instruments, implants or other objects that block or obscure the internal anatomy in an image of the surgical field, comprising:

• acquiring a high resolution baseline image of anatomy within the surgical field in a baseline orientation;
• digitally manipulating the high resolution baseline image to produce a baseline image set including representative images of the baseline image at a plurality of permutations of movements of the baseline image from the baseline orientation;
• acquiring a new image of the surgical field in which portions of the anatomy are blocked by objects;
• comparing the new image to the representative images in the baseline image set to select a representative image having an acceptable degree of correlation with the new image;
• and
• displaying the selected representative image to show the surgical field minimizing or eliminating the blocking objects.