Method for insertion of a medical device within a body during a medical imaging process

1. A method for tracking movement of a movable portion of an interventional device disposed within a natural or artificial body opening, wherein the interventional device includes passive fiducial markers configured in a preset configuration and visible in an image technique being used, position encoders operably coupled to the movable portion so as to provide outputs representative of movement of the movable portion, a sheath, and a needle channel configured to receive a needle therein, the method comprising:

acquiring image data of the passive fiducial markers, wherein a first subset of the passive fiducial markers is disposed along a main axis of the interventional device, and a second subset of the passive fiducial markers is disposed along the needle channel at a location outside of the sheath, the needle channel defining a needle axis that is non-parallel to the main axis;

calculating positions of the main axis and the needle axis, respectively, based on the acquired image data of the passive fiducial markers;

determining an initial position of the movable portion with respect to a given coordinate system according to the calculated positions of the main axis and the needle axis;

acquiring position data from the position encoders as the movable portion is moved from the determined initial position;

determining a displaced position of the moveable portion relative to the determined initial position; and

determining a position of the movable portion in the given coordinate system using the determined initial position and the determined displaced position.

2. The tracking method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

deploying the needle from the interventional device and acquiring data representative of the amount of deployment; and

determining a position of the needle in the given coordinate system using the determined initial position, the determined displaced position and the data acquired representative of the amount of deployment.

3. The tracking method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating of the positions of the main axis and the needle axis comprises:

defining a plane with respect to the passive fiducial markers;

acquiring a slab of images in the defined plane;

reformatting the acquired image data as axial images along the main axis and the needle axis; and

calculating the positions of the main axis and the needle axis, respectively, using information in the axial images.

4. The tracking method of claim 3 , wherein the calculating of the positions of the main axis and the needle axis further comprises:

identifying cross-sectional images of the passive fiducial markers within the axial images; and

calculating the positions of the main axis and the needle axis, respectively, with reference to the identified cross-sectional images of the passive fiducial markers.

5. The tracking method of claim 4 , wherein the calculating of the positions of the main axis and the needle axis further comprises:

calculating center points of the identified cross-sectional images of the passive fiducial markers; and

determining the main axis and the needle axis are respectively positioned along one or more of the calculated center points of the identified cross-sectional images of the passive fiducial markers.

6. The tracking method of claim 5 , wherein the passive fiducial markers are tubular, and the calculating of the center points of the identified cross-sectional images of the passive fiducial markers comprises:

determining center points of circular shapes formed by the identified cross-sectional images of the tubular passive fiducial markers.

7. The tracking method of claim 1 , wherein the imaging technique is a MRI technique.

8. The tracking method of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the passive fiducial markers includes two or more passive fiducial markers, and the second subset of the passive fiducial markers includes two or more passive fiducial markers.

9. The tracking method of claim 1 , wherein the acquiring of position data from the position encoders comprises:

defining degrees of freedom of the interventional device according to the calculated positions of the main axis and the needle axis; and

encoding motion along the defined degrees of freedom using the plurality of position encoders.