APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS

摘要

Systems and methods for medical diagnostic and for medical guided interventions using medical imaging systems are introduced. These systems and methods recognize the need for a relatively simple and modular way of using images produced by standard medical imaging devices to perform image guided medical interventions. Additionally these systems and methods enable to combine information available from two or more medical imaging apparatus in medical diagnosis and in image guided surgery and therapy. Particularly these methods enable to minimize mechanical constraints involved in a cooperative operation of several medical scanning devices. The apparatus and methods are based on using localizing devices comprising attachable position measuring components thus enabling to perform image guided medical interventions by calculating the position of a medical tool with respect to the image produced by the medical imaging device and/or with respect to the patient. These localizing devices enable to perform frameless stereotactic procedures anywhere in the body assisted by images produced by CT, MRI, X-Ray or other medical imaging devices. The methods and apparatus enable to position a second medical imaging device over a desired area/volume according to information received from the image produced by the first medical imaging device. Additionally the apparatus and methods facilitate image fusing when images of the same plane/volume are available from different medical imaging systems.