Technique for transferring a registration of image data of a surgical object from one surgical navigation system to another surgical navigation system

1. A method for transferring a registration of three dimensional image data of a surgical object from a first to a second surgical navigation system, wherein a first tracker that is detectable by a first detector of the first surgical navigation system is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object and a second tracker that is detectable by a second detector of the second surgical navigation system is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object, the method comprising:

registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in a first coordinate system of the first surgical navigation system;

determining a first position and orientation of the first tracker in the first coordinate system and a second position and orientation of the second tracker in a second coordinate system of the second surgical navigation system;

determining a third position and orientation of the second coordinate system in the first coordinate system; and

registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the second coordinate system on the basis of the determined first, second and third positions and orientations,

wherein registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the second coordinate system comprises determining a spatial relationship of the first tracker relative to the second tracker on the basis of the determined first, second and third positions and orientation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first tracker is based on an optical tracking principle and the second tracker is based on an electromagnetic tracking principle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the third position and orientation comprises at least one of:

determining a position and orientation of a third tracker that is detectable by the first detector of the first surgical navigation system, wherein the third tracker is arranged in a known position and orientation in the second coordinate system; and

determining a position and orientation of a fourth tracker that is detectable by the second detector of the second surgical navigation system, wherein the fourth tracker is arranged in a known position and orientation in the first coordinate system.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first tracker and the second tracker comprises a planar flexible patch that is configured to be arranged on a skin surface of a patient.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the planar flexible patch comprises one or more light sources and/or one or more features that are identifiable in the three dimensional image data and/or identifiable by the first detector.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the surgical object comprises a patient or a surgical instrument.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of removing and deactivating the first tracker once the three dimensional image data of the surgical object has been registered in the second coordinate system.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first position and orientation of the first tracker in the first coordinate system and determining the second position and orientation of the second tracker in the second coordinate system is performed at the same time or at different points in time while the first tracker and second tracker am stationary.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

a fifth tracker that is detectable by the first detector of the first surgical navigation system is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object, and wherein registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the first coordinate system comprises:

registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the first coordinate system with the fifth tracker;

determining a fifth position and orientation of the fifth tracker in the first coordinate system and a sixth position and orientation of the first tracker in the first coordinate system; and

registering the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the first coordinate system with the first tracker on the basis of the determined fifth and sixth positions and orientations.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first tracker and the second tracker am connected in a fixed spatial relationship to each other.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first tracker and the second tracker are connectable in such a way that after the first tracker is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object, the second tracker is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object by connecting the second tracker with the rut tracker.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method of claim 1 .

13. A controller for transferring a registration of three dimensional image data of a surgical object from a first to a second surgical navigation system, wherein a first tracker that is detectable by a first detector of the first surgical navigation system is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object and a second tracker that is detectable by a second detector of a second surgical navigation system is arranged in a fixed spatial relationship with the surgical object, wherein the controller is communicatively coupleable with the rust and second surgical navigation system and configured to:

register the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in a first coordinate system of the first surgical navigation system;

determine a first position and orientation of the first tracker in the first coordinate system and a second position and orientation of the second tracker in a second coordinate system of the second surgical navigation system;

determine a third position and orientation of the second coordinate system in the first coordinate system; and

register the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the second coordinate system on the basis of the determined first, second and third position and orientation,

wherein the controller is configured to register the three dimensional image data of the surgical object in the second coordinate system by being configured to determine a spatial relationship of the firm tracker relative to the second tracker on the basis of the determined first, second and third positions and orientations.

14. A surgical hybrid navigation system comprising:

the controller according to claim 13 ;

the rust surgical navigation system; and

the second surgical navigation system,

wherein the controller is communicatively coupled with the first and second surgical navigation system.