Patent ID: 7840253

Claim:
A system and apparatus for tracking a portion of a patient, an instrument, registering an image, or combinations thereof, the system comprising: a tracking sensor; a tracking system that tracks the tracking sensor; a body operable to surround at least a portion of the tracking sensor; an anchor coupled to the body to hold the body relative to the portion of the patient at a first location by directly engaging the patient at the first location; and an attachment member retractably coupled to the body to hold the body relative to the patient at a second location different from the first location by directly engaging the patient at the second location, the attachment member configured to translate relative to the body from a first position retracted in the body to a second position protruding from the body to directly engage the patient; wherein the body has a dimension to allow percutaneous placement of the body beneath soft tissue of the patient such that the tracking sensor is out of the line of sight of the tracking system, and wherein the body defines a bore to enable the anchor to pass through the body and hold the body relative to the portion of the anatomy.