Patent ID: 8060181

Claim:
A method for planning the placement of a device in a body of a patient, comprising: analyzing information of at least part of an internal structure of the body of the patient to determine if at least one specific or critical region or structure lies within a region of interest, said region of interest within a predetermined distance of a planned trajectory of the device in the body; using a processor to assess a level of risk to the at least one specific or critical region or structure that is within the region of interest, wherein levels of risk are determined based on risk due to at least one of patient-specific diffusion and perfusion properties or physiological characteristics of the specific region or structure of the body, and wherein the levels of risk are determined based on at least one of: a) risk due to anatomical, functional and/or physiological characteristics of the specific region or structure of the body, including i) risk of harming the body including the risk of crossing the trajectory of the device in the body with an optical nerve, and/or ii) risk of unsuccessful treatment including the risk of crossing the trajectory of the device in the body through a Sulcus in drug delivery; b) risk due to a predefined treatment plan, said risk due to the predefined treatment plan including a proximity of a treatment approach or trajectory to a risk structure, the proximity of two or more different treatment approaches or trajectories to each other, and/or weighting the risk of the predefined treatment approach; or c) risk due to a predefined setup or configuration of a surgical navigation system; and displaying borders along or around the specific or critical region or structure, wherein when planning the trajectory to cross at least one border, a warning signal is output or the trajectory is prevented from crossing the border.