Patent ID: 8535337

Claim:
A system for inserting a pedicle screw into a pedicle of a patient, comprising: a manually positionable X-ray emitter adjustable in more than three degrees of freedom, the X-ray emitter including a drill assembly adapted to insert a pedicle screw into a pedicle of a patient along an axis of operation; a generally planar X-ray detector that detects the X-rays from the X-ray emitter, the X- rays oriented along an axis parallel to the axis of operation of the drill assembly, wherein the X-ray detector generates an original image of a region of interest that includes the pedicle when positioned between the X-ray detector and the X-ray emitter, and wherein the X-ray emitter is capable of being positioned such that the X-rays are not perpendicular to a plane of the planar X-ray detector; a computer controlled position monitoring system that uses a processor to monitor a position and an orientation of the X-ray emitter in the more than three degrees of freedom; wherein the processor is operably connected to the position monitoring system and the X-ray detector and configured to execute an image correction algorithm, the image correction algorithm operable to provide a corrected image from the original image, the original image of the pedicle being skewed when the axis along which the X-rays are emitted is at an angle that is not perpendicular to the X-ray detector relative to an actual appearance of the pedicle from the angle and the corrected image showing the actual appearance of the pedicle; and a video display linked to the processor to display the corrected image in real-time to a surgeon performing an operation to insert the pedicle screw into the pedicle of the patient.