Patents Assigned to BrainLAB AG
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Patent number: 8126535Abstract: A marker navigation system for detecting and displaying locations of at least two reference devices, each reference device attachable to a corresponding object includes a detection device for detecting signals emitted from the at least two reference devices, a display device for displaying the locations of the at least two reference devices and/or the objects attached to the at least two reference devices based in accordance with display signals; and a data processing device.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2007Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Christian Maier, Jörg Uhde, Manfred Weiser
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Patent number: 8118029Abstract: A patient lateral positioning device for pelvic treatments suitable to support a patient in a defined lateral position includes a vacuum mattress. The vacuum mattress includes an upper body support attachable to an upper body portion of the patient, and a lower body support attachable to a lower body portion of the patient. A region between said upper and lower body support is formed such that when the vacuum mattress is attached to the patient, both a front pelvic side and an upper pelvic side of the patient are exposed.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2008Date of Patent: February 21, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Sabine Gneiting, Benjamin Wagner, Florian Schindler
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Patent number: 8104957Abstract: The invention relates to a method for calibrating a C-arm x-ray apparatus, comprising the following steps: a) the C-arm x-ray apparatus is moved to an initial position, in particular to an anterior-posterior position; b) a calibration image is produced; c) the position of the centre of projection in the radiation source of the C-arm x-ray apparatus is determined from the information of the calibration image and stored together with associated values for the orbital angle and the polar angle of the arm of the C-arm x-ray apparatus; d) the arm is moved to a number of calibration positions in a range of orbital angles and polar angles, and the relative position of the radiation source and the image intensifier of the C-arm x-ray apparatus is directly measured for each calibration position; e) the change in the position of the radiation source relative to the image intensifier of the C-arm x-ray apparatus is measured for each calibration position; f) the position of the centre of projection which applies to eachType: GrantFiled: March 4, 2009Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Christian Maier, Jörg Uhde
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Patent number: 8105307Abstract: A device and method for determining at least one infusion and/or injection region for infusing and/or injecting a medical drug into a heterogeneous body structure in order to achieve a distribution of the medical drug in a desired target region of the heterogeneous body structure is provided. The device and method provide at least one property of the heterogeneous body structure that influences the spatial distribution of the medical drug in the heterogeneous body structure; and determine the at least one infusion and/or injection region from which the medical drug is to be transported through the heterogeneous body structure to the at least one target region as a function of the at least one property of the heterogeneous body structure and a position of the desired target region.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2007Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventor: Maria Inmaculada Rodriguez Ponce
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Patent number: 8104958Abstract: The present application relates to an x-ray marker device comprising an arrangement of x-ray markers, wherein the arrangement defines straight lines which are referred to as device straight lines, wherein at least some of the device straight lines, which are referred to as pyramid straight lines, comprise portions which define edges of at least one pyramid.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2009Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Manfred Weiser, Rupert Heigl
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Patent number: 8104477Abstract: The fastening device in accordance with the invention is directed to a pin for securing the position of a part of a body, (for example, a head) for medical procedures. The fastening device can have an improved geometry, can be made from materials including unsubstituted, monosubstituted or multisubstituted polyphenylene, and/or silicon nitride ceramic, and can be made of one or more pieces. The fastening device in accordance with the invention produces improved performance with respect to the criteria of biocompatibility, ability to be sterilized, resistance to mechanical stress, and reduced artifact creation in medical imaging methods.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2008Date of Patent: January 31, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Martin Edlauer, Christian Radina
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Patent number: 8096163Abstract: The invention relates to a method for verifying the calibration status of an optical tracking system (1), wherein: a calibration apparatus (20, 40), which comprises a tracking marker configuration (27, 28; 41, 42), is moved to within the detection range of the tracking system (1); the tracking markers (27, 28; 41, 42) of the calibration apparatus (20, 40) are detected by the tracking system; the arrangement of the tracking markers (27, 28; 41, 42) is changed and/or moved into a state such that the tracking system (1) experiences a detection problem; the arrangement of the tracking markers (27, 28; 41, 42) which causes the detection problem is gauged and/or a range of arrangements for the tracking markers (27, 28; 41, 42) which causes the detection problem is gauged; and the tracking system (1) is determined to have a calibration error when the gauged arrangement and/or range of arrangements does not have a predetermined value or is not within a predetermined range of values.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2008Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Assignee: Brainlab AGInventor: Gunter Goldbach
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Patent number: 8092400Abstract: The present application relates to a method for determining the position or relative position of body parts, taking into account the anatomical symmetry, wherein at least one first-side body part is provided on the first side of an anatomical body, and at least one second-side body part is provided on the second side of the anatomical body, wherein the first side is separated from the second side by a body symmetry plane, said method comprising the steps of: providing first-side body part data which describes or implies the position of the at least one first-side body part; providing second-side body part data which describes the position of the at least one second-side body part; providing symmetry plane data which describes the position of the body symmetry plane; calculating the mirrored position or mirrored positions of the at least one second-side body part which results after the position of the at least one second-side body part has been mirrored on the body symmetry plane, on the basis of the second-sType: GrantFiled: February 19, 2009Date of Patent: January 10, 2012Assignee: BrainLAB AGInventors: Blaine Warkentine, Herr Hansjörg Huber
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Patent number: 8060181Abstract: A method for planning the placement of a device in a body includes analyzing information of at least part of the internal structure of the body of a patient to determine if at least one specific or critical region or structure lies within a region of interest, said region of interest within a predetermined distance of the planned trajectory of the device in the body. Then, a level of risk is assessed to the at least one specific or critical region or structure that is within the region of interest.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2007Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Maria Inmaculada Rodriguez Ponce, Christoph Pedain, Andreas Hartlep
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Patent number: 8059878Abstract: A method for registering a non-patient-characteristic three-dimensional magnetic resonance data set (MR data set) to patient-characteristic data includes: producing or providing a non-patient-characteristic three-dimensional generic model of a body or body part containing body structure data; ascertaining or providing two-dimensional patient-characteristic detection data of a patient; using a transformation protocol for data-linking the body structure data of the three-dimensional generic model to the two-dimensional patient-characteristic detection data to change or adapt the generic model of the body or body part based on the ascertained two-dimensional patient-characteristic detection data, wherein the three-dimensional generic model is at least correlated with a three-dimensional MR reference data set; and changing or deforming at least a part of the three-dimensional MR reference data set by using the transformation protocol to generate a patient-characteristic three-dimensional MR data set that is regisType: GrantFiled: August 14, 2007Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Thomas Feilkas, Claus Schaffrath
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Patent number: 8052623Abstract: A system and method for computer-assisted joint analysis, wherein the joint elements in a three-dimensional imaging data set are segmented and then projected onto a two-dimensional or three-dimensional reference area for interference analysis and surgical planning.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2008Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Martin Haimerl, Gregor Tuma, Florian Schindler, Marc Fricke
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Patent number: 8055046Abstract: A method for generating a three-dimensional model of a structure based on at least one two-dimensional image of the structure includes obtaining a general three-dimensional model of the structure; determining at least one image feature from the at least one two-dimensional image; determining an orientation of the general three-dimensional model of the structure relative to the at least one two-dimensional image of the structure so that at least one image feature of a two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional model match or at least approximate the at least one two-dimensional image feature; and after determining the orientation of the general three-dimensional model, morphing a form or shape of the general three-dimensional model to fit the at least one two-dimensional image.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2007Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignees: Brainlab AG, AO Technology AGInventors: Thomas Feilkas, Guoyan Zheng
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Patent number: 8043295Abstract: A vertebral spreading instrument for moving apart two vertebrae of a spine includes a plurality of spreading fingers and a spreading mechanism for adjusting a distance between the spreading fingers. The spreading mechanism includes a first and a second part, the first and second parts each including a respective marker trackable by a navigation system. Relative positions of the first and second parts change when the distance between the spreading fingers is adjusted, and different relative positions are unequivocally assigned to different distances of the spreading fingers.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2005Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Pete Reed, Claus Schaffrath, Gerhard Kleinszig, Gunther Becht
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Patent number: 8041089Abstract: A method for registering an anatomical structure using at least one marker attached to the structure includes: obtaining a three-dimensional model of the structure via an imaging method; obtaining at least two two-dimensional recordings of the structure from different angles; and ascertaining a spatial position and location of the three-dimensional model or a position and location of the three-dimensional model in a patient coordinate system based on a matching method that uses the position of the at least one marker in the at least two two-dimensional mappings such that the three-dimensional model of the structure matches the structure.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2007Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Peter Drumm, Markus Hepke
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Patent number: 8031922Abstract: A method of determining in a three-dimensional operating space a measure of super-imposition M between at least a portion of an object and a spatial representation of the object or part thereof in an object representation pose, a pose comprising position and orientation in operating space includes: a) obtaining a similarity measure S between a first imaging data taken in first respective imaging poses of the object or part thereof and second imaging data comparable to the first imaging data taken in second respective imaging poses that are digitally reconstructed from the spatial representation of the object or part thereof in the object representation pose; b) locating in operating space at least one point on the surface of the object or part thereof; c) obtaining a distance measure D between the at least one point in operating space and a surface of the spatial representation of the object or part thereof in the object representation pose; and d) obtaining a measure of superimposition M by a combinationType: GrantFiled: August 22, 2007Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Martin Haimerl, Florian Schindler
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Patent number: 8023706Abstract: An automatic landmark determining device, includes a storage device for storing at least one anatomical sample image and at least one anatomical landmark, the at least one anatomical landmark corresponding to a characteristic location within the at least one anatomical sample image, The automatic landmark determining device also includes an input device for inputting an anatomical patient image, and a transformation device. The transformation device is configured to apply an image-adapting transformation to the at least one anatomical landmark, said image-adapting transformation corresponding to a transformation that converts the at least one anatomical sample image to the anatomical patient image.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2007Date of Patent: September 20, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventor: Jens Witte
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Patent number: 8018456Abstract: A method of determining a distance of a source point to a surface of an object in three-dimensional space, wherein the object is represented by a decision rule and a plurality of volume elements arranged in slices comprising rows and columns, wherein each volume element carries at least one value, and wherein the decision rule determines membership of each volume element to the object in accordance with the at least one value of the volume element, the method comprising: determining a contour of a representation of the object within each slice; locating on the contour of each slice a homing point closest to the source point; fitting a curve to the located homing points; determining a distance from the source point to the fitted curve; and equating the determined distance as the distance of the source point to the surface of the object.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2007Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Andreas Blumhofer, Corinna Seltz
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Patent number: 8014848Abstract: The visualization of procedural guidelines for a medical procedure, in which a medical instrument is shown in an image representation of a body portion including an area in which a medical procedure is to be carried out, wherein, in the vicinity of the functional portion of the instrument, regions or locations are indicated which are of special relevance to the procedure according to established guidelines for said procedure.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2005Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Rainer Birkenbach, Christoph Pedain, Andreas Hartlep, Raghu Raghavan, Martin Brady
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Patent number: 7995827Abstract: A system for registering a patient's body part in a medical workspace of a medical navigation system is provided, wherein the body part is supported by at least one support device. The system includes a medical navigation system including a processor and memory, a reference device coupled to the at least one support device, a tracking device communicatively coupled to the medical navigation system and operative to determine a position of the reference device; an x-ray or fluoroscopic apparatus for capturing x-ray or fluoroscopic images of the body part; and logic stored in memory and executable by the processor. The logic includes logic that eliminates an effect of image artefacts on registration of the body part, wherein the artefacts are caused by the at least one support device.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2007Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: BrainLAB AGInventors: Benjamin Wagner, Timo Neubauer
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Patent number: 7993353Abstract: An improved marker system, components and method for use with a medical navigation system, wherein the marker system includes interchangeable tracking marker holders and fastener bases for attaching the marker holders to instruments or body parts that are to be tracked during a medical procedure. A reference star (the marker holder and tracking marker(s)) and fastener base are removably attached to one another. This enables different reference stars to be interchangeably attached to a given fastener base, or vice versa, thereby to provide the best combination of reference star and fastener base for a given application. This preferably is accomplished by a standard interface between the fastener base and the holder for the tracking markers, e.g., reflective markers. In addition, surgical instruments may have integrally formed therein the standard interface, thereby eliminating the need for a fastener base.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2003Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Brainlab AGInventors: Holger-Claus Roβner, Frank Reimold, Robert Schmidt, Rainer Birkenbach