System and method for calibration for image-guided surgery

1. A method of calibrating a transformation of 3-dimensional ultrasound data in an imaging system from a first coordinate system into a second coordinate system, the method calibrating a-transformation having parameters and calibrating the transformation by steps comprising:

imaging, with a 3-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, an object having a planar surface to provide a first ultrasound data in the first coordinate system;

extracting points corresponding to ultrasound rays intersecting the planar surface of the object from the first ultrasound data; and

fitting the parameters such that the points when transformed by the transformation describe a planar surface in the second coordinate system;

and using the calibrated transformation by:

obtaining additional ultrasound images using the 3-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, the additional ultrasound images being images of a patient undergoing surgery obtained in a spherical coordinate system; and

using the transformation with the fitted parameters to coregister the additional ultrasound images to images in a rectilinear coordinate system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the points are filtered to remove outliers.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the imaging system comprises at least one ultrasound imaging head attached to at least one tracking device, the tracking device configured to determine coordinates of the ultrasound imaging head, and wherein the first coordinate system is an ultrasound coordinate system.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the tracking device is configured to determine an angle of the ultrasound imaging head.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising automatically updating the transformation on a coregistration and display computer for at least one of changes in the angle of the ultrasound imaging head, and changes in position of the ultrasound imaging head.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transformation from the first coordinate system into the second coordinate system is a composite of transformation from the first coordinate system into a room coordinate system, and a transformation from the room coordinate system into a patient coordinate system.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the tracking device comprises at least three non-collinear sensors attached to ultrasound imaging head.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first coordinate system is selected from the group consisting of a rectilinear coordinate system and a spherical coordinate system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters are fitted by simulated annealing.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters are fitted by gradient descent.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters are fitted by at least one method selected from gradient descent and simulated annealing,

wherein the fitting comprises transforming the extracted points into the second coordinate system, and determining planarity of the points in the second coordinate system;

wherein the imaging system comprises at least one ultrasound imaging head attached to at least one tracking device, the at least one tracking device configured to determine coordinates of the ultrasound imaging head and to determine an angle of the ultrasound imaging head; and

wherein the first coordinate system is an ultrasound coordinate system.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the transformation from the first coordinate system into the second coordinate system is a composite of transformation from the first coordinate system into a room coordinate system, and a transformation from the room coordinate system into a patient coordinate system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first coordinate system is a spherical coordinate system, and the second coordinate system is a rectilinear coordinate system.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters are fitted by simulated annealing.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the parameters are fitted by gradient descent.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the imaging system comprises at least one ultrasound imaging head attached to at least one tracking device, the tracking device configured to determine coordinates and an angle of the ultrasound imaging head, and where the transformation is automatically updated for changes in position and angle of the ultrasound imaging head.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the transformation from the first coordinate system into the second coordinate system is a composite of transformation from the first coordinate system into a room coordinate system, and a transformation from the room coordinate system into a patient coordinate system.

18. A method of calibrating a transformation of ultrasound data in an imaging system from a first coordinate system into a second coordinate system, the method of calibrating comprising applying in a processor the transformation having parameters and calibrating the transformation by steps comprising:

imaging an object having a planar surface with an ultrasound imaging system;

extracting points corresponding to ultrasound rays intersecting the planar surface of the object; and

fitting the parameters such that the points when transformed by the transformation describe a planar surface in the second coordinate system;

wherein fitting the parameters involves finding cumulative shortest absolute distances of the individual points from the planar surface in the second coordinate system;

and using the calibrated transformation by:

obtaining additional ultrasound images using the 3-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, the additional ultrasound images being images of a patient undergoing surgery obtained in a spherical coordinate system; and

using the transformation with the fitted parameters to coregister the additional ultrasound images to images in a rectilinear coordinate system.