Patent ID: 7953471

Claim:
A method of selecting a position for a prosthesis to be implanted in an anatomy, comprising: obtaining image data of the anatomy that includes at least a portion of a spine having at least two substantially adjacent vertebrae; displaying the obtained image data on an image device viewable by a user; defining a plurality of points on the displayed image data corresponding at least to each of a first vertebra and a second vertebra of the at least two substantially adjacent vertebrae, the plurality of defined points including a posterior point on a spinous process, a lateral point on a transverse process, a lateral point on a vertebral body, or combinations thereof; determining a midline of the first vertebra and the second vertebra based at least on the defined plurality of points; determining a midline of the portion of the spine based on the determined midline of the first vertebra and the determined midline of the second vertebra; displaying the determined spinal midline on the displayed image data relative to at least the portion of the spine; tracking a sensor coupled to an instrument; determining a position of the instrument relative to at least one of the defined plurality of points of the first and second vertebrae and the determined spinal midline based on tracking of the sensor; determining an incision point relative to at least one of the defined plurality of points of the first and second vertebrae and the determined spinal midline; navigating a surgical procedure through an incision and relative to the defined plurality of points and the determined spinal midline; and navigating the prosthesis through the incision and relative to at least the determined spinal midline to the selected position, wherein said prosthesis navigation substantially assists in positioning the prosthesis in the selected position.