Abstract: A system for use during a medical or surgical procedure on a body. The system generates an image representing the position one or more body elements during the procedure using scans generated by a scanner prior or during the procedure. The image data set has reference points for each of the body elements, the reference points of a particular body element having a fixed spatial relation to the particular body element. The system includes an apparatus for identifying, during the procedure, the relative position of each of the reference points of each of the body elements to be displayed. The system also includes a processor for modifying the image data set according to the identified relative position of each of the reference points during the procedure, as identified by the identifying apparatus, said processor generating a displaced image data set representing the position of the body elements during the procedure.

Abstract: A system for determining a position of a probe relative to an object such as a head of a body of a patient. The head includes a surface such as a forehead having a contour. Cross sectional images of the head are scanned and stored as a function of the forehead contour. If the forehead contour does not appear in the scan images, then the position of the forehead contour relative to the scan images is determined with an optical scanner and a ring. During surgery, the optical scanner also determines the position of the forehead relative to the ring. An array for receiving radiation emitted from the probe and from the ring generates signals indicating the position of the tip of the probe relative to the ring. A stereotactic imaging system generates and displays an image of the head corresponding to the measured position of the tip of the probe. The system may also display scan images from different scanning technologies which scan images correspond to the same position in the head.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing composite data by a server computer involves deforming a template creating a mapping relationship between co-registered data and subject data, filtering the co-registered data, and mapping this filtered co-registered data according to the mapping data. A client computer requests the composite data from the server computer and transmits the subject data to the server computer. The client presents the received composite data to an operator and monitors the operators use of the composite data.

Abstract: A system for determining a position of a probe relative to an object such as a head of a body of a patient. The head includes a surface such as a forehead having a contour. Cross sectional images of the head are scanned and stored as a function of the forehead contour. If the forehead contour does not appear in the scan images, then the position of the forehead contour relative to the scan images is determined with an optical scanner and a ring. During surgery, the optical scanner also determines the position of the forehead relative to the ring. An array for receiving radiation emitted from the probe and from the ring generates signals indicating the position of the tip of the probe relative to the ring. A stereotactic imaging system generates and displays an image of the head corresponding to the measured position of the tip of the probe. The system may also display scan images from different scanning technologies which scan images correspond to the same position in the head.

Abstract: A system for determining a position of a probe relative to an object such as a head of a body of a patient. The head includes a surface such as a forehead having a contour. Cross sectional images of the head are scanned and stored as a function of the forehead contour. If the forehead contour does not appear in the scan images, then the position of the forehead contour relative to the scan images is determined with an optical scanner and a ring. During surgery, the optical scanner also determines the position of the forehead relative to the ring. An array for receiving radiation emitted from the probe and from the ring generates signals indicating the position of the tip of the probe relative to the ring. A stereotactic imaging system generates and displays an image of the head corresponding to the measured position of the tip of the probe. The system may also display scan images from different scanning technologies which scan images correspond to the same position in the head.

Abstract: A system for determining a position of a probe (302) relative to an object such as a head (390) of a body of a patient. The head includes a surface such as a forehead (394) having a contour. The head is placed in a cradle (392) equipped with an arc (393). The cross sectional images of the head are determined relative to the arc. A hand held unit (380) optically scans the forehead and the arc. During scanning to generate the cross sectional images, the optical scanner (380) is used to determine the position of the forehead (394) relative to the cradle (392). During surgery, the optical scanner (380) also determines the position of the forehead (394) relative to a base ring (306). An array (300) for receiving radiation emitted from the probe (302) and from the base ring (306) generates signals indicating the position of the tip of the probe (302) relative to the base ring (306).

Abstract: A system for indicating a position of a tip of a probe which is positioned within an object on cross-sectional, scanned images of the object. The object includes reference points and the images of the object include reference images corresponding to the reference points. An array for receiving radiation emitted from the probe and from the reference points is digitized by a three dimensional digitizer to measure the position of the tip of the probe relative to the reference points of the object. A computer employing translational software translates the position of the tip of the probe into a coordinate system corresponding to the coordinate system of the cross-sectional images. A stereotactic imaging system selects the image of the object closest to the measured position of the tip of the probe and displays the selected image and a cursor representing the position of the tip of the probe on the selected images.