Patent ID: 7139418
Filing Date: 2006-11-21
Classification: A61B,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for registering fluoroscopic images comprising: positioning a registration artifact in a first location, the registration artifact including a plurality of radio-opaque fiducials arranged in a known geometric relationship and a plurality of trackable markers disposed in a known geometric relationship to the fiducials; capturing a first fluoroscopic image of a patient and the radio-opaque fiducials with the registration artifact in the first location: determining positions of the trackable markers with respect to a known coordinate frame when the registration artifact is in the first location using a tracking system, the tracking system being separate from the patient and a fluoroscope; determining positions of the radio-opaque fiducials in the first fluoroscopic image with respect to the known coordinate frame of the determined positions of the trackable markers; relocating the registration artifact to a second location: capturing a second fluoroscopic image of the patient and the radio-opaque fiducials with the registration artifact in the second location: determining positions of the trackable markers with respect to the known coordinate frame when the registration artifact is in the second location using the tracking system; determining positions of the radio-opaque fiducials in the second fluoroscopic image with respect to the known coordinate frame of the determined positions of the trackable markers; registering the first and second fluoroscopic images using the positions of the fiducials in each fluoroscopic image and the determined positions, with respect to the known coordinate frame, of the trackable markers.