Image annotation in image-guided medical procedures

Abstract

Presented herein are methods, systems, devices, and computer-readable media for image annotation in image-guided medical procedures. Some embodiments herein allow physicians or other operators to use one or more medical devices in order to define annotations in 3D space. These annotations may later be displayed to the physician or operator in 3D space in the position in which they were first drawn or otherwise generated. In some embodiments, the operator may use various available medical devices, such as needles, scalpels, or even a finger in order to define the annotation. Embodiments herein may allow an operator to more conveniently and efficiently annotate visualizable medical data.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for image annotation in image guided medical procedures, comprising:
 determining, with one or more computing devices, position and/or orientation of a first medical device;   determining, with the one or more computing devices, position and/or orientation of visualizable medical data based at least in part on the determined position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   causing one or more displays to display a perspective view of the visualizable medical data within a virtual 3D space based at least in part on the position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   determining, with the one or more computing devices, position and/or orientation of a second medical device;   determining an intersection of an axis associated with the second medical device and a plane associated with the visualizable medical data over a time period; and   causing the one or more displays to display an annotation in the virtual 3D space based at least in part on the determined intersection over the time period.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising generating virtual ink at the intersection of the axis associated with the second medical device and the plane associated with the visualizable medical data. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said determining position and/or orientation of the second medical device over the time period, comprises determining the position and/or orientation of the second medical device over the time period relative to the display displaying the perspective view of the visualizable medical data. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said determining position and/or orientation of the second medical device over the time period, comprises determining the position and/or orientation of the second medical device over the time period relative to the visualizable medical data. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said determining the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises receiving input from a touch screen and said determining the intersection comprises determining the intersection based at least in part on the input from the touch screen. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said determining the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises receiving input from a remote pointer and said determining the intersection comprises determining the intersection based at least in part on the input from the remote pointer. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said determining the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises receiving tracking data from a tracking system that is tracking the second medical device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein
 the position and/or orientation of the first medical device comprises position and orientation of the first medical device,   the position and/or orientation of the visualizable medical data comprises position and orientation of the visualizable medical data, and   the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises position and orientation of the second medical device.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the visualizable medical data comprises an ultrasound image slice. 
     
     
         30 . A system for image annotation in image guided medical procedures, comprising one or more computing devices, said one or more computing devices being configured to:
 determine position and/or orientation of a first medical device;   determine position and/or orientation of visualizable medical data based at least in part on the determined position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   cause one or more displays to display a perspective view of the visualizable medical data within a virtual 3D space based at least in part on the position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   determine position and/or orientation of a second medical device;   determine an intersection of an axis associated with the second medical device and a plane associated and the visualizable medical data over a time period; and   cause the one or more displays to display an annotation in the virtual 3D space based at least in part on the determined intersection over the time period.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein to determine the position and/or orientation of the second medical device, the one or more computing devices are configured to determine the position and/or orientation of the second medical device relative to the display displaying the perspective view of the visualizable medical data. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein to determine the position and/or orientation of the second medical device the one or more computing devices are configured to determine the position and/or orientation of the second medical device relative to the visualizable medical data. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein
 the position and/or orientation of the first medical device comprises position and orientation of the first medical device,   the position and/or orientation of the visualizable medical data comprises position and orientation of the visualizable medical data, and   the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises position and orientation of the second medical device.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the visualizable medical data comprises a medical image slice. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the visualizable medical data comprises comprises an ultrasound image slice. 
     
     
         36 . A non-transient computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for image annotation in image guided medical procedures, said computer-executable instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to:
 determine position and/or orientation of a first medical device;   determine position and/or orientation of visualizable medical data based at least in part on the position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   cause one or more displays to display a perspective view of the visualizable medical data within a virtual 3D space based at least in part on the position and/or orientation of the first medical device;   determine position and/or orientation of a second medical device;   determine an intersection of an axis associated with the second medical device and a plane associated and the visualizable medical data over a time period; and   cause the one or more displays to display an annotation in the virtual 3D space based at least in part on the determined intersection over the time period.   
     
     
         37 . The non-transient computer-readable medium of  claim 36 , wherein the annotation comprises a non-planar annotation in the virtual 3D space based at least in part on the determined intersection over the time period. 
     
     
         38 . The non-transient computer-readable medium of  claim 36 , wherein the annotation comprises a spline based at least in part on the determined intersection over the time period. 
     
     
         39 . The non-transient computer-readable medium of  claim 36 , wherein
 the position and/or orientation of the first medical device comprises position and orientation of the first medical device,   the position and/or orientation of the visualizable medical data comprises position and orientation of the visualizable medical data, and   the position and/or orientation of the second medical device comprises position and orientation of the second medical device.   
     
     
         40 . The non-transient computer-readable medium of  claim 36 , wherein the visualizable medical data comprises an ultrasound image slice.