Surgical positioning system

Abstract

A system for positioning and repositioning of a portion of a patient's body with respect to a treatment or imaging machine includes multiple cameras to view the body and the machine. Index markers, either light-emitting, passive, geometric shapes, or natural landmarks, are identified and located by the cameras in 3D space. In one embodiment, such reference or index markers are in a determinable relationship to analogous markers used during previous image scanning of the patient. Anatomical targets determined from image scanning can be located relative to reference positions associated with the treatment or diagnostic machine. Several forms of camera, index markers, methods and systems accommodate different clinical uses. X-ray imaging of the patient further refines anatomical target positioning relative to the treatment or diagnostic imaging reference point. Movements of the patient based on comparative analysis of imaging determined anatomical targets relative to reference points on treatment or diagnostic apparatus are controlled by the system and process of the invention.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for location of a patient's body with spatial points on a treatment or diagnostic apparatus in registration with image data from an image scanner, the image scanner having a scanner coordinate frame and providing the image data of at least a portion of said patient's body scanned by said image scanner to said computer system to develop scanner marker coordinates in the scanner coordinate frame of scanner index markers located on said at least a portion of said patient's body, and to develop scanner target coordinates in said scanner coordinate frame of at least one target in said at least a portion of said patient's body, said system comprising: 
 a computer system to process camera data and the image data from the image scanner;    a camera system comprising two or more cameras, each having a field of view that comprises at least a portion of the patient's body on the treatment or diagnostic apparatus, said camera system indexing positions of the spatial points within the field of view, having at least one reference point in a known position with respect to said treatment or diagnostic apparatus with reference coordinates that are known in said camera system, the camera system providing camera data to the computer system to develop optical marker coordinates in the camera coordinate frame of optical index markers detectable by said camera system in the field-of-view and located in the same position on said patient's body as said scanner index markers, and whereby said positions of said optical index markers are known with respect to said at least one reference point;    transformation means associated with said computer system to transform said scanner marker coordinates to said optical marker coordinates, and whereby said scanner target coordinates are transformed to camera target coordinates so that the position of said at least one target position is determined with respect to said at least one reference point of said treatment or diagnostic apparatus.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said image scanner is a CT scanner and said scanner index markers are radiopaque markers that are adapted to be attached to said at least a portion of said patient's body and that have positions that are detectable in said image data.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said optical index markers are light-emitting objects that are adapted to be attached to said at least a portion of said patient's body, and emit light detectable by said camera system to produce detectable camera data representative of said camera marker coordinates.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said optical index markers are objects with geometric patterns that are detectable by said camera system to provide camera marker coordinates.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said optical index markers are light reflecting objects that are adapted to be attached to said at least a portion of said patient's body and reflect light from light sources located near said camera system to produce detectable camera data representative of said camera marker coordinates.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said treatment or diagnostic apparatus is a LINAC and said reference point is a radiation isocenter of radiation beams from said LINAC.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said treatment or diagnostic apparatus is a diagnostic image scanning apparatus and wherein said reference point is a determinable point within the image acquisition range of the diagnostic image scanning apparatus.