Patent ID: 8617155

Claim:
A method for identifying 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 opposing jaw members operably associated with the sensor assembly and movable relative to each other; transmitting at least one electrical signal from the sensor assembly via one of the jaw members through a content of the target anatomical structure to elicit a measurable response from the content of the target anatomical structure; receiving the measurable response from the content of the target anatomical structure via the other jaw member; calculating one or more signature properties of the target anatomical structure based on the measurable response; comparing values of the one or more measured signature properties to at least one other measured signature property; identifying the target anatomical structure based on the comparison between the one or more measured signature properties and the at least one other measured signature property; determining proximity of the at least one surgical device relative to the target anatomical structure; and alerting a user of the identified target anatomical structure based on the determined proximity of the at least one surgical device relative to the target anatomical structure.