Patent ID: 8623004

Claim:
A method for determining proximity of a surgical device relative to an anatomical structure, the method comprising the steps of: placing at least one surgical device having a sensor assembly disposed thereon relative to a target anatomical structure, the at least one surgical device including a pair of jaw members movable relative to each other; transmitting at least one first electrical signal from the sensor assembly via one of the jaw members through a content of the target anatomical structure to the other jaw member to elicit a measurable response from the content of the target anatomical structure; calculating one or more signature properties of the target anatomical structure based on the measureable response; comparing values of at least one first measured signature property to at least one second measured signature property; and determining the identity of the target anatomical structure and proximity of the at least one surgical device relative to the target anatomical structure based on the comparison between the at least one first measured signature property and the at least one second measured signature property.