SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATING NAVIGATION OF A TOOL USING A FLUOROSCOPE

摘要

System and method for facilitating navigation of a tool to an inter-body target using a fluoroscope employs a tracking system to determine the position of a fluoroscope and of a tool relative to a frame of coordinates in which there is also defined a reference surface passing through the inter-body target. An indication is then generated on a display in the context of an image from the fluoroscope designating a location at which a current direction of the tool intersects the reference plane. This facilitates correct angular alignment of the tool towards the inter-body target. The reference surface is preferably defined as a plane at a given depth below the local skin surface as derived from CT image data, but without requiring registration between the fluoroscope image and the CT image data.