Dynamic tracking of soft tissue targets with ultrasound images, without using fiducial markers

Abstract

An apparatus and method of dynamically tracking a soft tissue target with ultrasound images, without the use of fiducial markers. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an ultrasound imager to generate a reference ultrasound and a first ultrasound image having a soft tissue target, and a processing device coupled to the ultrasound imager to receive the reference ultrasound image and the first ultrasound image, to register the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image, and to determine a displacement of the soft tissue target based on registration of the first ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image.

1 . A method, comprising:
 registering a first ultrasound (US) image having a soft tissue target of a patient with a first reference image of a first modality having the soft tissue target of the patient;   determining a first displacement of the soft tissue target based on the registering of the first US image with the first reference image;   registering a second US image of the soft tissue target with the first US image of the soft tissue target, wherein the second US image is obtained subsequent to the first US image; and   determining a second displacement of the soft tissue target based on the registration of the second US image with the first US image.