METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR LOCALIZATION OF TARGETS INSIDE A BODY

1 . A medical navigation apparatus comprising:

a housing assembly;

a position sensitive detector at least partially enclosed within the housing assembly, the position sensitive detector configured to acquire scanning data;

a tracking camera at least partially enclosed within the housing assembly, the tracking camera disposed at a predetermined position and orientation with respect to the position sensitive detector, the tracking camera configured to acquire image data; and

at least one processor and a memory operatively coupled with the tracking camera, the memory having instructions for execution by the at least one processor to determine a position and orientation of the scanning data with respect to an object using the predetermined position and orientation of the tracking camera with respect to the position sensitive detector.

2 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory has instructions for execution by the at least one processor configured to convert the scanning data to a reconstructed diagram identifying a relative location of a radiation source to the object.

3 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the reconstructed diagram is produced using Compton imaging, self-collimation effects, or proximity imaging.

4 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the memory has instructions for execution by the at least one processor to combine the image data and the reconstructed diagram to produce a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the subject's tissue.

5 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the position sensitive detector comprises a magnetic sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, or a gamma ray detector.

6 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the position sensitive detector comprises a gamma ray probe including an enclosed matrix surrounding a sensor.

7 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a material of the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a cadmium zinc tellurium (CdZnTe) detector, a position sensitive scintillator, a segmented silicon (Si) detector, a depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, and a depleted complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.

8 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the position sensitive detector is disposed towards a distal end of the housing assembly, wherein the tracking camera includes a field of view that overlaps partially with a field of view of the position sensitive detector.

9 . The medical navigation apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a transparent optical window along a side of the housing assembly through which the tracking camera is configured to see a tracking field of view.

10 . A method for performing a scan of a subject, the method comprising:

scanning, by a position sensitive detector, a subject to acquire scanning data, the position sensitive detector at least partially enclosed within a housing assembly;

acquiring, by a tracking camera at least partially enclosed within the housing assembly, image data, wherein the tracking camera is disposed at a predetermined position and orientation with respect to the position sensitive detector; and

determining a position and orientation of the scanning data with respect to an object using the predetermined position and orientation of the tracking camera with respect to the position sensitive detector.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating, from the scanning data, a reconstructed diagram identifying a relative location of a radiation source to the object.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the reconstructed diagram is generated using Compton imaging, self-collimation effects, or proximity imaging.

13 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

combining the image data and the reconstructed diagram to produce a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the subject's tissue.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the position sensitive detector comprises a magnetic sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, or a gamma ray detector.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the position sensitive detector comprises a gamma ray probe including an enclosed matrix surrounding a sensor.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a material of the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a cadmium zinc tellurium (CdZnTe) detector, a position sensitive scintillator, a segmented silicon (Si) detector, a depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, and a depleted complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.

17 . A method for performing a scan of a subject, the method comprising:

scanning the subject with a detector to generate scan data;

tracking the detector to provide a position and orientation of the detector with respect to an examined object;

creating a registered scan with the scan data based on the position and orientation of the detector with respect to the examined object;

assigning a scanning completeness value to elements of the registered scan based on the position and orientation of the detector; and

determining, based on the scanning completeness value of the elements, partial volumes that have been scanned enough and partial volumes that have not been scanned enough for a defined scanning objective.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

using the scanning completeness value to guide further scanning of the subject with the detector to acquire a more complete dataset.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein assigning comprises:

calculating the scanning completeness value based by summing probabilities that a signal emitted or reflected from inside an element is detected by the detector over a scanning period.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the detector is selected from a group consisting of a radiation detector, an electromagnetic sensor, a magnetic sensor, and an ultrasound device.