Patent ID: 7797030

Claim:
A method, comprising: generating a three dimensional image of a body portion including a targeted structure for a surgical procedure; selecting reference structures located in the generated three dimensional image; calculating landmark point coordinates for defining locations of each of the targeted structure and the reference structures to generate respective targeted structure landmark point coordinates and reference structures landmark point coordinates; computing triangulation parameters relating the location of the targeted structure landmark point coordinates to the reference structures landmark point coordinates, wherein the computed triangulation parameters include a distance ratio and an angle, wherein the distance ratio relates the lengths of two sides of a triangle formed by the targeted structure landmark point coordinates and two landmark point coordinates of the reference structures landmark point coordinates and the angle is the angle formed between the two sides of the triangle; acquiring an intra-operative three dimensional image during the surgical procedure; identifying locations of the reference structures in the intra-operative image; and plotting a location of the targeted structure on the intra-operative image in response to the computed triangulation parameters and the identified locations of the reference structures in the intra-operative image.