Patent ID: 6584339
Filing Date: 2003-06-24
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
Apparatus for collecting and processing physical space data for use while performing image-guided surgery, the apparatus comprising:(a) a probe instrument for collecting physical space data 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) an ablative instrument for resecting or ablating a particular portion of the exposed tissue; and (c) an image data processor comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for: (i) based on the physical space data collected by the probe instrument, determining point-based registrations used to indicate surgical position in both image space and physical space; (ii) 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 (iii) updating the image data on a periodic basis.