Systems and methods of registration for image-guided surgery

1. A method comprising:

receiving a set of model points of a model of one or more passageways of a patient;

receiving a set of measured points collected from within the one or more passageways of the patient, each point comprising coordinates within a medical environment occupied by the patient;

assigning weights to one or more of the measured points;

matching each measured point to a model point to generate a set of matches, a value of each of the matches depending on the assigned weight of the measured point in the match; and

moving the set of measured points relative to the set of model points based on the set of matches.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a corrective motion to apply to the set of measured points, and wherein the moving the set of measured points relative to the set of model points comprises applying the corrective motion to the set of measured points.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

discarding a subset of the set of matches based on a first heuristic to generate a modified set of matches; and

computing a corrective motion to apply to the set of measured points, wherein the moving the set of measured points relative to the set of model points based on the set of matches comprises moving the set of measured points relative to the set of model points based on the modified set of matches.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein discarding the subset of the set of matches based on the first heuristic comprises temporarily ignoring an associated set of matches between the set of model points and the set of measured points.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of measured points are obtained using a catheter comprising a shape sensor extending therein or one or more electromagnetic sensors disposed thereon.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the model is generated from data obtained using at least one of one of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy, thermography, ultrasound, optical coherence tomography (OCT), thermal imaging, impedance imaging, laser imaging, or nanotube X-ray imaging.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the set of model points from the model by:

generating a line corresponding to a center of each of the one or more passageways; and

generating a plurality of centerline points to provide the set of model points.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning weights to one or more of the measured points comprises assigning relatively higher weights to more recently obtained points.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning weights to one or more of the measured points comprises decrementing a weight of a first measured point each time a registration iteration is performed.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning weights to one or more of the measured points comprises assigning a weight to each of the measured points according to a respiratory phase during which the measured point was collected.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning weights to one or more of the measured points comprises assigning a weight to each of the measured points according to a match between the measured point and another measured point that was obtained at an earlier time.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigning weights to one or more of the measured points comprises assigning a weight to each of the measured points according to a quality of measured data that results in the measured points.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the weights are based on a position on a catheter used to collect the set of measured points.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the weights of measured points collected from a distal position on the catheter are higher than weights of measured points collected from a proximal position on the catheter.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the weights are based on a state of a catheter used to collect the set of measured points.