Abstract: A system for performing a surgical procedure includes an extended working channel (EWC) having a drive mechanism, a catheter having a camera and an electromagnetic sensor, and a workstation including a memory storing instructions, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to determine a location and an orientation of a distal end of the EWC, receive real-time images of the patient's anatomy from the camera, identify a centerpoint of a lumen within the received real-time images, articulate the distal end of the EWC using the drive mechanism to align the distal end of the EWC with the identified centerpoint, and instruct the drive mechanism to reduce tension on the distal end of the EWC to permit the distal end of the EWC to deflect when contacting walls of the lumen if a diameter of the lumen approximates an outer diameter of the EWC.

Abstract: A method of performing a surgical procedure includes obtaining images of a patient's anatomy using a cone beam computed tomography machine while the patient is sedated, identifying an area of interest in the images obtained by the cone beam computed tomography machine, identifying a pathway to the identified area of interest using the images obtained by the cone beam computed tomography machine, and navigating a catheter within the patient's airways to the identified area of interest using the identified pathway.

Abstract: Navigation systems and methods for magnetic interference correction involve antennae that generate magnetic fields at different frequencies, sensors that measure the magnetic fields, and a computing device that uses sensor measurements to determine the magnetic interference and produce accurate sensor position and orientation information.

Abstract: A system for performing a surgical procedure includes a catheter including a camera and an electromagnetic sensor and a workstation operably coupled to the catheter, the workstation including a memory storing instructions, which when executed cause a processor to receive pre-procedure images of a patient's anatomy, generate a 3D representation of the patient's anatomy, identify first anatomical landmarks within the generated 3D representation, identify a location of the EM sensor within a reference coordinate frame, receive real-time images from the camera, identify second anatomical landmarks within the received real-time images corresponding to the identified first anatomical landmarks, identify a location of the camera within the reference coordinate frame using the identified second anatomical landmarks corresponding to the identified first anatomical landmarks, and register a location of the catheter to the 3D representation using the identified locations of the EM sensor and the camera within the refere

Abstract: A method and system for reducing divergence between computed tomography images and a patient using three-dimensional reconstructions. The method utilizes cone beam imaging or three-dimensional fluoroscopy to supplement or supplant pre-operative computed tomography imaging.

Abstract: A system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a neural network, which when executed by the processor automatically segments structures in computed tomography images of an anatomical structure, receives an indication of errors within the automatic segmentation, updates parameters of the neural network based upon the indicated errors, and updates the segmentation based upon the updated parameters of the neural network.

Abstract: A method and system implementing a method for detecting a catheter in fluoroscopic data and updating a displayed electromagnetic position of the catheter on a 3D rendering is provided including navigating a catheter to a target area and acquiring fluoroscopic data from a fluoroscopic sweep of the target area. An initial catheter detection is performed to detect catheter tip candidates in each 2D frame of the fluoroscopic data using a shallow neural network. A secondary catheter detection is performed to detect catheter tip candidates in each 2D frame of the fluoroscopic data using a deep neural network. False-positive catheter tip candidates are removed by reconstructing a 3D position of the catheter tip and finding an intersecting point of rays corresponding to each 2D frame.

Abstract: A system and method for constructing fluoroscopic-based three dimensional volumetric data from two dimensional fluoroscopic images including a computing device configured to facilitate navigation of a medical device to a target area within a patient and a fluoroscopic imaging device configured to acquire a fluoroscopic video of the target area about a plurality of angles relative to the target area. The computing device is configured to determine a pose of the fluoroscopic imaging device for each frame of the fluoroscopic video and to construct fluoroscopic-based three dimensional volumetric data of the target area in which soft tissue objects are visible using a fast iterative three dimensional construction algorithm.

Abstract: Systems and methods for visualizing navigation of a medical device with respect to a target using a live fluoroscopic view. The methods include determining a level of zoom of a fluoroscope when acquiring a reference frame. The methods further include determining whether the live fluoroscopic images evidence movement of the fluoroscope relative to its position when capturing a reference frame.

Abstract: A magnetic localization system including a magnetic field generator that generates an alternating magnetic field with a maintained frequency; and a receiver comprising: a DC magnetometer to sense a local magnetic field, at least in part due to the generated magnetic field; and at least one processor that calculates a six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) position and orientation of the receiver relative to the generator, based on the sensed magnetic field and the maintained frequency, and optionally based on the momentary phase of the generated field. Optionally, the generator includes an actuator that applies a rotational motion; at least one magnet rotating about a first axis by the actuator; a magnetometer to sense a momentary rotation phase of the at least one magnet; and a controller to maintain a desired rotation frequency of the at least one magnet. Optionally, the generator communicates the maintained rotation frequency and optionally the sensed momentary phase.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing divergence between computed tomography images and a patient using three-dimensional reconstructions. The method utilizes cone beam imaging or three-dimensional fluoroscopy to supplement or supplant pre-operative computed tomography imaging.

Abstract: Systems and methods of image processing include a processor in communication with a display and a computer readable recording medium having instructions executed by the processor to read a three-dimensional (3D) image data set from the computer-readable recording medium and automatically generate a tree structure of blood vessels based on patient images of the image data set using a neural network. Manually- and/or semi-automatically-generated 3D models of blood vessels are used to train the neural network. The systems and methods involve segmenting and classifying blood vessels in the 3D image data set using the trained neural network, closing holes, finding roots and endpoints in the segmentation, finding shortest paths between the roots and endpoints, selecting most probable paths, combining most probable paths into directed graphs, solving overlaps between directed graphs, and creating 3D models of blood vessels based on the directed graphs.

Abstract: Imaging systems and methods compensate for wigwag movement of a C-arm fluoroscope to refine camera pose estimates. The methods involve computing a primary movement axis from samples of markers in fluoroscopic images of a fluoroscopic sweep of a structure of markers and processing the primary movement axis to obtain a secondary movement axis. The methods further involve aligning two-dimensional samples of each marker with the primary and secondary movement axes to obtain an aligned signal and determining a difference signal for a secondary component of the aligned signal. The difference signal is then converted to a rotation axis translation signal. The method further involves estimating a 3D position of the rotation axis. The estimated pose of the C-arm fluoroscope is then refined to compensate for the wigwag movement using the rotation axis translation signal and the estimated 3D position of the rotation axis.

Abstract: A system and method of image processing including a processor in communication with a display and a computer readable recording medium having instructions executed by the processor to read an image data set from the memory, segment the image data set, and skeletonize the segmented image data set. The instructions cause the processor to graph the skeletonized image data set, assign a branch identification (ID) for each branch in the graph, and associate each voxel of the segmented image data set with a branch ID. The instructions cause the processor to generate a three-dimensional (3D) mesh model from the graphed skeletonized image data set, associate each vertex of the 3D mesh model with a branch ID; and display in a user interface the 3D mesh model, and an image of the image data set.

Abstract: Navigation systems and methods for magnetic interference correction involve antennae that generate magnetic fields at different frequencies, sensors that measure the magnetic fields, and a computing device that uses sensor measurements to determine the magnetic interference and produce accurate sensor position and orientation information.

Abstract: A system and method for improving a quality of images for local registration where a position of a sensor is monitored to determine whether a breath hold plateau has been achieved, and following imaging is monitored to determine whether the sensor position has returned to a pre-breath hold position.

Abstract: A magnetic localization system including a magnetic field generator that generates an alternating magnetic field with a maintained frequency; and a receiver comprising: a DC magnetometer to sense a local magnetic field, at least in part due to the generated magnetic field; and at least one processor that calculates a six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) position and orientation of the receiver relative to the generator, based on the sensed magnetic field and the maintained frequency, and optionally based on the momentary phase of the generated field. Optionally, the generator includes an actuator that applies a rotational motion; at least one magnet rotating about a first axis by the actuator; a magnetometer to sense a momentary rotation phase of the at least one magnet; and a controller to maintain a desired rotation frequency of the at least one magnet. Optionally, the generator communicates the maintained rotation frequency and optionally the sensed momentary phase.

Abstract: Surgical guidance systems and methods visually mark a structure of interest (SOI) of an organ on intraoperative images captured by a locatable imaging device. A location of the SOI relative to a body structure (e.g., a passageway system) associated with the organ is determined in a preoperative image that is captured by a medical diagnostic imaging (MDI) system. The location of the SOI relative to the body structure in the preoperative image is then mapped onto a reconstructed version of the body structure based on location information provided by localization sensors distributed on the body structure. An intraoperative image taken by the locatable imaging device is aligned with the reconstructed version of the body structure and an image object representing the SOI is overlaid on the intraoperative image at a location that is mapped from the reconstructed version of the body structure.

Abstract: Object detection including receiving a fluoroscopic video including a plurality of fluoroscopic images captured by a fluoroscope rotated about a patient, generating a three-dimensional (3D) volumetric reconstruction from the fluoroscopic images, deleting values in the 3D volumetric reconstruction beyond a region of interest about an object, generating 2D images from a remaining 3D volumetric reconstruction following the deleting of values: detecting the object in the 2D images to determine an initial position of the object, and refining the detected initial position of the object.

Abstract: Systems and methods of estimating movement of anatomical structures of a new patient include learning one or more deformation models from preoperative and intraoperative imaging data of a set of other patients and estimating movement of anatomical structures of the new patient based on the one or more deformation models and preoperative imaging data of the new patient. Estimating movement of the anatomical structures may include applying deformation models to map data derived from preoperative imaging data of a new patient to obtain deformed map data for each deformation model, and determining the deformation model that best fits the intraoperative imaging data of the new patient. Applying a deformation model to map data may include applying a transformation to the deformation model and interpolating to obtain a deformed map data. Registration is computed between locations of a medical device sampled during navigation of the medical device through the new patient and the original and deformed map data.