System and Method for Local Deformable Registration of a Catheter Navigation System to Image Data or a Model

Abstract

A method for registering a catheter navigation system to a three-dimensional image generally includes obtaining a three-dimensional image including position information for a plurality of surface points on a part of a patient's body, using a catheter navigation system to place a tool at a location on the surface of the patient's body, measuring position information for the surface location, identifying a corresponding location on the image, associating position information for the surface location and the location identified on the image as a fiducial pair, and using at least one fiducial pair to generate a mapping function. The mapping function transforms points within the coordinate system of the catheter navigation to the coordinate system of the three-dimensional image such that, for each fiducial pair, the mapping error is about zero. Suitable warping algorithms include thin plate splines, mean value coordinates, and radial basis function networks.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A system for registering a catheter navigation system to an image of at least a portion of a heart, the system comprising:
 a catheter adapted to be inserted into at least a portion of a heart;   a catheter navigation system adapted to place the catheter at a point X within the at least a portion of a heart and to measure position information for the point X within the at least a portion of a heart;   an image of the at least a portion of a heart, the image including position information for a plurality of location points within the at least a portion of the heart;   an input device coupled to the image of the at least a portion of a heart and adapted to permit a user to select a point Yon the image, wherein the selected point Y corresponds to the point X within the at least a portion of a heart at which the catheter is placed;   a pairing processor programmed to associate the measured position information for the point X within the at least a portion of a heart at which the catheter is placed with position information for the selected point Y as a fiducial pair (X, Y); and   a transform processor programmed with a warping algorithm to generate a mapping function ƒ that transforms points within an n-dimensional space of the catheter navigation system to points within an n-dimensional space of the image, such that, for each of a plurality of fiducial pairs (X, Y), an error function ƒ(X)−Y≈0.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the transform processor is programmed with a thin plate splines algorithm. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the transform processor is programmed with a mean value coordinates algorithm. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the transform processor is programmed with a radial basis function networks algorithm. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the catheter navigation system generates an electrical localization field within the at least a portion of a heart, and wherein the catheter navigation system measures position information for the point X within the at least a portion of a heart based upon at least one characteristic of the electrical localization field encountered by the catheter. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the catheter navigation system generates a magnetic localization field within the at least a portion of a heart, and wherein the catheter navigation system measures position information for the point X within the at least a portion of a heart based upon at least one characteristic of the magnetic localization field encountered by the catheter. 
     
     
         37 . A system for registering a catheter navigation system to an image of at least a portion of a heart, the system comprising:
 an image of at least a portion of a heart, the image including n-dimensional position information for a plurality of location points within the at least a portion of the heart;   a model of the at least a portion of the heart, the model including n-dimensional position information for a plurality of location points within the at least a portion of the heart measured relative to a catheter navigation system;   an input device adapted to permit a user to select a point Y on the image of at least a portion of the heart and a point X on the model of the at least a portion of the heart;   a pairing processor programmed to associate position information for the point Y selected on the image of at least a portion of the heart with position information for the point X selected on the model of the at least a portion of the heart as a fiducial pair (X, Y); and   a transform processor programmed with a warping algorithm to generate a mapping function ƒ that transforms points within the catheter navigation system to points within the image, such that, for each of a plurality of fiducial pairs (X, Y), an error function ƒ(X)−Y≈0.   
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 37 , wherein the point Y selected on the image of at least a portion of the heart and the point X selected on the model of the at least a portion of the heart correspond to a common location within the at least a portion of the heart. 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38 , wherein the common location is on a surface of the at least a portion of the heart. 
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the point X within the at least a portion of a heart is on a surface of the at least a portion of the heart.