Medical navigation system with tool and/or implant integration into fluoroscopic image projections and method of use

1. A method for depicting a tool or implant with respect to an image for surgical guidance, the method comprising:

establishing a surface boundary for a region of interest depicted in the image;

determining a position of the tool or implant with respect to the surface boundary; and

displaying a representation of the tool or implant on the image, wherein a first portion of the tool or implant inside the surface boundary is depicted in the representation with a first degree of transparency that is different than a second degree of transparency or opacity of a second portion of the tool or implant outside the surface boundary, and wherein the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation with a plurality of degrees of transparency based on a distance inside the surface boundary such that the degrees of transparency increase to become more transparent as the distance inside the surface boundary increases.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation as opaque and the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted as semi-transparent.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transparency or opacity of the first and second portions of the tool or implant are dynamically adjusted as the tool or implant is moved relative to the surface boundary.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image comprises a fluoroscopic image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tool or implant is depicted in the representation using various shades of grayscale.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the representation depicts a three dimensional view of the tool or implant on a two dimensional image.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface boundary is established using a tracking device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of establishing a surface boundary for a region of interest depicted in the image further comprises establishing a surface boundary for a region of interest depicted in the image based on identification of a location of one or more points on a surface of the region of interest.

9. A user interface system for displaying a representation of a tool or implant with respect to an image for surgical guidance, the system comprising:

a processor configured to establish a surface boundary for a region of interest depicted in the image and configured to determine a position of the tool or implant with respect to the surface boundary, wherein the processor generates a representation of the tool or implant on the image, wherein a first portion of the tool or implant inside the surface boundary is depicted in the representation with a first degree of transparency that is different than a second degree of transparency or opacity of a second portion of the tool or implant outside the surface boundary, and wherein the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation with a plurality of degrees of transparency based on a distance inside the surface boundary such that the degrees of transparency increase to become more transparent as the distance inside the surface boundary increases; and

a display configured to dynamically display the image and the representation to a user.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the second portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation as opaque and the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted as semi-transparent.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to dynamically adjust the transparency or opacity of the first and second portions of the tool or implant as the tool or implant is moved relative to the surface boundary.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the image comprises a fluoroscopic image.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the tool or implant is depicted in the representation using various shades of grayscale.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the representation depicts a three dimensional view of the tool or implant on a two dimensional image.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the surface boundary is established using a tracking device.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the surface boundary is established based on identification of a location of one or more points on a surface of the region of interest.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions for execution on a computer for surgical guidance, the set of instructions comprising:

a boundary determination routine for establishing a surface boundary for a region of interest depicted in an image based on tracking information;

an implant representation routine for generating a representation of a tool or implant with respect to the surface boundary based on tracking information, wherein a first portion of the tool or implant inside the surface boundary is depicted in the representation with a first degree of transparency that is different than a second degree of transparency or opacity of a second portion of the tool or implant outside the surface boundary, and wherein the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation with a plurality of degrees of transparency based on a distance inside the surface boundary such that the degrees of transparency increase to become more transparent as the distance inside the surface boundary increases; and

a display routine for displaying the representation of the tool or implant on the image.

18. The set of instructions of claim 17 , wherein the second portion of the tool or implant is depicted in the representation as opaque and the first portion of the tool or implant is depicted as semi-transparent.

19. The set of instructions of claim 17 , wherein the implant representation routine dynamically adjusts the transparency or opacity of the first and second portions of the tool or implant as the tool or implant is moved relative to the surface boundary.

20. The set of instructions of claim 17 , wherein the representation depicts a three dimensional view of the tool or implant on a two dimensional image.