Patent ID: 6259943
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method of determining a target position in a patient's anatomy, comprising:a. scanning the patient's anatomy with an image scanner to obtain image scan data referenced in an image coordinate reference frame;b. identifying physical fiducial points on the patient's anatomy and also identifying corresponding fiducial point images in said image scan data from scanning of the patient's anatomy with said image scanner corresponding to said fiducial points, such that said fiducial points and said fiducial point images index the physical space of the patient's anatomy to said image scanner coordinate reference frame;c. applying a patient attachment means to the patient's anatomy, said patient attachment means having a defined stereotactic coordinate system and physical reference points in known coordinate positions with respect to said stereotactic coordinate system;d. applying registration apparatus adapted to determine physical registration data relating to a relationship between said reference points of said patient attachment means and said fiducial points and which thereby provides a mapping between said image scan data and said stereotactic coordinate system; ande. determining a target position in said stereotactic coordinate system identifiable in said image scan data using said mapping between said image scan data and said stereotactic coordinate system.