Ultrasonic systems and methods for examining and treating spinal conditions

1. A method for correlating a 2D ultrasonagraphic image of a patient's spine with a relative location along the spine, the method comprising:

(a) storing a generic 3D model of a spine in a database of an ultrasonagraphic system, the generic 3D model having a first generic landmark and a second generic landmark;

(b) recording a patient-specific spine contour line, the recording comprising:

(i) sliding an ultrasound probe of the ultrasonagraphic system along the patient's spine from a first patient landmark on the patient's spine to a second patient landmark on the patient's spine, the ultrasound probe having one or more optical targets affixed thereto;

(ii) determining, throughout the sliding step, a sequence of 3D locations of a point on the ultrasound probe via an optical tracking unit of the ultrasonagraphic system;

(iii) interpolating between each of the 3D locations of the sequence, thereby producing the patient-specific spine contour line;

(iv) storing the patient-specific spine contour line in the database;

(c) resizing the length of the generic 3D model according to the patient-specific contour line, such that the first patient landmark correlates to the first generic landmark and the second patient landmark correlates to the second generic landmark;

(d) distorting the shape of the generic 3D model according to the patient-specific spine contour line, thereby creating a patient-specific 3D model of the patient's spine;

(e) capturing a first ultrasound image of the patient's spine via the ultrasound probe and concurrently determining a 3D location of the ultrasound probe; and

(f) correlating the 3D location of the ultrasound probe with a corresponding location on the patient-specific 3D model.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising displaying the patient-specific 3D model, wherein the 3D model as displayed indicates the 3D location of the ultrasound probe.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the displaying step includes displaying the first ultrasound image.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distorting step comprises performing a thin plate spline transformation on the generic 3D model based at least in part on the sequence of 3D locations of the patient-specific spine contour line.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the distorting step comprises performing a b-spline transformation on the generic 3D model based at least in part on the sequence of 3D locations of the patient-specific spine contour line.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generic 3D model comprises a third generic landmark, the method comprising:

capturing a sequence of ultrasound images of the patient's spine via the ultrasound probe; and

scanning the sequence of ultrasound images, via an image processing system of the ultrasonagraphic system, for a third patient-specific landmark.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the scanning step comprises comparing regions of high intensity in the sequence of ultrasound images to 2D slices of the patient-specific 3D model.

8. The method of claim 6 , comprising correlating the third patient-specific landmark to the third generic landmark.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the distorting step is a first distorting step, the method comprising:

second distorting the shape of the patient-specific 3D model according to the third patient-specific landmark, thereby creating a revised patient-specific 3D model of the patient's spine.

10. A method for correlating a 2D ultrasonagraphic image of a patient's spine with a relative location along the spine, the method comprising:

(a) storing a generic 3D model of a spine in a database of an ultrasonagraphic system, the generic 3D model having a first generic landmark and a second generic landmark;

(b) recording a patient-specific spinal contour line, the recording comprising:

(i) sliding an ultrasound probe of the ultrasonagraphic system along the patient's spine from a first patient landmark on the patient's spine to a second patient landmark on the patient's spine, the ultrasound probe having one or more optical targets affixed thereto;

(ii) determining, throughout the sliding step, a sequence of 3D locations of a point on the ultrasound probe via an optical tracking unit of the ultrasonagraphic system;

(iii) interpolating between each of the 3D locations of the sequence, thereby producing the patient-specific spinal contour line;

(iv) storing the patient-specific spinal contour line in the database;

(c) resizing the length of the generic 3D model according to the patient-specific contour line, such that the first patient landmark correlates to the first generic landmark and the second patient landmark correlates to the second generic landmark;

(d) distorting the shape of the generic 3D model according to the patient-specific spinal contour line, thereby creating a patient-specific 3D model of the patient's spine;

(e) capturing a first ultrasound image of the patient's spine via the ultrasound probe and concurrently determining a 3D location of the ultrasound probe;

(f) correlating the 3D location of the ultrasound probe with a corresponding location on the patient-specific 3D model; and

(g) displaying the patient-specific 3D model, wherein the 3D model as displayed indicates the 3D location of the ultrasound probe.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the displaying step includes displaying the first ultrasound image.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the distorting step comprises performing a thin plate spline transformation on the generic 3D model based at least in part on the sequence of 3D locations of the patient-specific spinal contour line.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the distorting step comprises performing a b-spline transformation on the generic 3D model based at least in part on the sequence of 3D locations of the patient-specific spinal contour line.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the generic 3D model comprises a third generic landmark, the method comprising:

capturing a sequence of ultrasound images of the patient's spine via the ultrasound probe; and

scanning the sequence of ultrasound images, via an image processing system of the ultrasonagraphic system, for a third patient-specific landmark.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the scanning step comprises comparing regions of high intensity in the sequence of ultrasound images to 2D slices of the patient-specific 3D model.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising correlating the third patient-specific landmark to the third generic landmark.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the distorting step is a first distorting step, the method comprising:

second distorting the shape of the patient-specific 3D model according to the third patient-specific landmark, thereby creating a revised patient-specific 3D model of the patient's spine.