System and method for 3-d tracking of surgical instrument in relation to patient body

Abstract

A system and method for tracking the three-dimensional position and orientation of a surgical instrument as the instrument is being utilized within the interior of a patient body. A stereoscopic camera system generates a stereoscopic image of the patient body which is subsequently rendered on a display device. A wireless signal transmitted by an electromagnetic field generator is received by a sensor on the surgical instrument. Utilizing this sensor data, a processor calculates the position and orientation of the surgical instrument and then superimposes upon the rendered stereoscopic image of the patient body a graphical representation indicative of the position and orientation of the surgical instrument.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for tracking the three-dimensional position and orientation of a surgical instrument while the instrument is being utilized within a patient body during a surgery, comprising:
 a stereoscopic camera system for generating one or more stereoscopic images of the patient body;   a display device for rendering the one or more stereoscopic images of the patient body;   at least one surgical instrument configured to be inserted into the patient body for the monitoring and/or manipulation of tissue;   an electromagnetic field (EMF) generator for wirelessly transmitting an electromagnetic field;   at least one electromagnetic (EMF) sensor that is incorporated into or mounted upon the stereoscopic camera system and which detects the electromagnetic field transmitted by the EMF generator and outputs a signal;   at least one electromagnetic (EMF) sensor that is incorporated into or mounted upon the at least one surgical instrument and which detects the electromagnetic field transmitted by the EMF generator and outputs a signal; and   a processor for receiving both the output signal from the EMF sensor associated with the stereoscopic camera system and the output signal from the EMF sensor associated with the surgical instrument, calculating the three-dimensional position and orientation of the EMF sensor associated with the surgical instrument relative to the patient body, and superimposing a graphical representation of the surgical instrument upon the one or more stereoscopic images of the patient body being rendered on the display device,   
       wherein the superimposed graphical representation of the surgical instrument indicates in real-time the three-dimensional position and orientation of the surgical instrument relative to the patient body. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the EMF generator is incorporated into or mounted upon a surgical table configured to support the patient body. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the surgical instrument comprises a simple visual indicator of the surgical instrument's position and orientation. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the surgical instrument comprises a graphical model approximating the appearance of the surgical instrument. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the EMF generator is a multi-axis transmitter that transmits a sequence of electromagnetic signals on different axes. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the system automatically determines an appropriate graphical representation of a surgical instrument based upon identification data that is unique to and stored within the surgical instrument and which is retrieved by the processor.