Method for volume determination and geometric reconstruction
A method for determining a volume of ablated tissue includes the steps of supplying energy to tissue, indicating an axis within the tissue, and simulating slicing of the tissue substantially perpendicular to the axis to obtain a plurality of simulated slices. Each of the plurality of simulated slices has a thickness, a cross-sectional perimeter, and a trajectory point defined by the axis within the tissue. The method further includes the steps of determining a volume of each of the plurality of simulated slices based on the trajectory point, the cross-sectional perimeter, and the thickness of each simulated slice, and summing the volumes from each of the plurality of simulated slices to obtain the volume of the ablated tissue.
1. A method for determining a volume of ablated tissue comprising:
supplying energy from at least one electrode to tissue to create a tissue ablation volume;
indicating an axis within the tissue ablation volume based on a trajectory of the at least one electrode inserted through the tissue ablation volume;
simulating slicing of the tissue ablation volume transverse to the axis to obtain a plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume, each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume having a thickness, a cross-sectional perimeter, and a trajectory point defined by the axis;
determining a volume of each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume based on the trajectory point, the cross-sectional perimeter, and the thickness of each simulated slice of the tissue ablation volume; and
summing the volumes from each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume to obtain the volume of the ablated tissue.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the energy is electrosurgical energy.
3. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the energy is supplied to at least one electrode.
4. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising determining a surface area for each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume based on the position of the trajectory point relative to the cross-sectional perimeter.
5. The method as in claim 4 , further comprising determining the volume of each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume by integrating the thickness and the surface area of each slice.
6. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising imaging the tissue utilizing an imager to generate image data and displaying a graphical representation of the tissue via a display based on the image data.
7. The method as in claim 6 , wherein the imager is selected from the group consisting of ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET imaging modalities.
8. The method as in claim 6 , further comprising determining the cross-sectional perimeter for each of the plurality of simulated slices of the tissue ablation volume from the image data generated by the imager.
9. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising surgically removing the ablated tissue.
10. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising graphically representing the tissue ablation volume in 3-D based on coordinates of the cross-sectional perimeter.
11. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising graphically comparing the tissue ablation volume to a pre-determined geometry provided by the graphical display.
12. The method as in claim 11 , further comprising determining a completeness factor based on deviations between the tissue ablation volume and the pre-determined geometry.
13. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising determining an effect from structures adjacent the tissue on the tissue ablation volume determination based on deviations from the center of mass of the trajectory.
14. The method as in claim 1 , further comprising supplying a contrast agent to the tissue ablation volume.