Apparatus and Method for Four Dimensional Soft Tissue Navigation Including Endoscopic Mapping

Abstract

A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that visually simulates a virtual volumetric scene of a body cavity of a patient from a point of view of a surgical instrument residing in the cavity of the patient. The surgical instrument navigation system includes: a surgical instrument; an imaging device which is operable to capture scan data representative of an internal region of interest within a given patient; a tracking subsystem that employs electro-magnetic sensing to capture in real-time position data indicative of the position of the surgical instrument; a data processor which is operable to render a volumetric, perspective image of the internal region of interest from a point of view of the surgical instrument; and a display which is operable to display the volumetric perspective image of the patient.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A method of constructing a three-dimensional model of an airway or vessel of a patient comprising:
 (i) affixing a patient tracking device comprising a plurality of markers to an external surface of the patient;   (ii) creating an image dataset of the airway or vessel of the patient, the image dataset comprising inspiration images depicting the airway or vessel at an inspiration point, expiration images depicting the airway or vessel at an expiration point, the inspiration and expiration images further depicting a position of each of the plurality of markers at the inspiration point and at the expiration point;   (iii) inserting an endoscope into the airway or the vessel of the patient, the endoscope of the type having a distal end equipped with an electromagnetic sensor constructed and arranged to provide location information, and a fiber optic localization element constructed and arranged to provide shape information proximate the electromagnetic sensor;   (iv) forming a three-dimensional navigation model representative of the patient's lung anatomy from CT data;   (v) navigating the endoscope to a location in the anatomy;   (vi) conforming the three-dimensional navigation model to the shape of the airway or the vessel of the patient at the location within the model.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
 (vii) recording localization data received from the electromagnetic sensor positioned within the airway or the vessel during a respiratory or heartbeat cycle of the patient.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of:
 (viii) recording shape data received from the fiber optic localization element positioned within the airway or the vessel during a respiratory or heartbeat cycle of the patient.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
 (ix) constructing a three-dimensional model of the airway or the vessel by compiling the multiple planes of two-dimensional video or images comprising sub-surface structure; and   (x) correlating the localization data of the electromagnetic sensor and the shape data of the airway or the vessel with the image dataset collected in conjunction with the patient tracking device.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the recorded localization data is used to determine a traveled path of the instrument. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 repeating steps (i) through (x) at a plurality of time intervals to generate a plurality of three-dimensional models comprising sub-surface structure wherein each three-dimensional model comprising sub-surface structure depicts the airway or the vessel of the patient at the time interval that steps (i) through (x) were repeated; and   combining the plurality of three-dimensional models into a cine loop of three-dimensional video.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 comparing the three-dimensional models; and   identifying a change in the three-dimensional models between the plurality of time intervals.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 scrolling through the cine loop; and   identifying and selecting a three-dimensional model among the plurality of three-dimensional models in the cine loop for use in registration.