Spatial position measurement system for surgical navigation using 3-d image marker-based tracking tools with compact volume

We develop a spatial position measurement system using three-dimensional (3-D) image marker-based tracking tools targeted at surgical navigation in minimally invasive surgery. We generate 3-D image markers with spatial information encoded to 2-D images, design tracking tools with the 3-D image markers, and analyze the tracking tools' theoretical spatial errors, which are primarily limited by the spatial distribution of reconstructed fiducial 3-D markers. A pattern analysis-based positional measurement algorithm is developed to calculate the tool's spatial information using its spatial configuration. Evaluation experiments were conducted to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed system. Furthermore, surgical navigation feasibility studies were performed. With a patient-image registration algorithm, a navigation interface that shows preoperative medical data and intraoperative information about the tool can intuitively and accurately assist surgeons. The results demonstrate that the proposed tracking tools, which have compact volume and spatial positional information, are of potential use in minimally invasive surgery in a limited space.