A system includes an interventional instrument and a control system. The control system is configured to: generate a graphical user interface (GUI) including an image of a target region for deploying the interventional instrument, wherein the target region includes a plurality of target points and is determined by a probabilistic collection of the plurality of target points, wherein a size of the target region is based at least in part on a location of a target structure within a patient anatomy; responsive to an engagement of the interventional instrument with tissue in the target region, update the GUI to include an engagement location marker; and responsive to the engagement of the interventional instrument, update the GUI to include an image of a revised target region.

A method of operating a surgical device having a surgical tool includes allowing manual movement of the surgical tool along at least one direction, controlling the surgical device to align the surgical tool with a target using a control object having a planned geometric relationship with an anatomic feature, tracking movement of the anatomic feature during a surgical procedure, moving the control object to compensate for the movement of the anatomic feature during the surgical procedure, and controlling the surgical device to realign the surgical tool with the target using the moved control object.

Devices and methods are provide for facilitating registration and calibration of surface imaging systems. Tracking marker support structures are described that include one or more fiducial reference markers, where the tracking marker support structures are configured to be removably and securely attached to a skeletal region of a patient. Methods are provided in which a tracking marker support structure is attached to a skeletal region in a pre-selected orientation, thereby establishing an intraoperative reference direction associated with the intraoperative position of the patient, which is employed for guiding the initial registration between intraoperatively acquired surface data and volumetric image data. In other example embodiments, the tracking marker support structure may be employed for assessing the validity of a calibration transformation between a tracking system and a surface imaging system. Example methods are also provided to detect whether or not a tracking marker support structure has moved from its initial position during a procedure.

A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that visually simulates a virtual volumetric scene of a body cavity of a patient from a point of view of a surgical instrument residing in the cavity of the patient, wherein the surgical instrument, as provided, may be a steerable surgical catheter with a biopsy device and/or a surgical catheter with a side-exiting medical instrument, among others. Additionally, systems, methods and devices are provided for forming a respiratory-gated point cloud of a patient's respiratory system and for placing a localization element in an organ of a patient.

A pre-shift set of fiducials each including a pre-shift fiducial impedance location and a pre-shift fiducial magnetic location can be determined. The pre-shift fiducial impedance locations and the pre-shift fiducial magnetic location are associated with a medical device. A post-shift set of fiducials each including a post-shift fiducial impedance location and a post-shift fiducial magnetic location can be determined. The post-shift fiducial impedance locations and the post-shift fiducial magnetic locations are associated with the medical device. A pre-shift transformation can be fit to the pre-shift set of fiducials and a post-shift transformation can be fit to the post-shift set of fiducials. A determination can be made whether the pre-shift transformation differs from the post-shift transformation. An indication that an impedance shift has occurred between the pre-shift set of fiducials and the post-shift set of fiducials can be generated based on the difference between the pre-shift transformation and the post-shift transformation.

A method is described for adapting 3D image datasets so that they can be registered and combined with 2D images of the same subject, wherein deformation or movement of parts of the subject has occurred between obtaining the 3D image and the 2D image. 2D-3D registrations of the images with respect to multiple features visible in both images are used to provide point correspondences between the images in order to provide an interpolation function that can be used to determine the position of a feature visible in the first image but not the second image and thus mark the location of the feature on the second image. Also described is apparatus for carrying out this method.

In certain embodiments, the systems, apparatus, and methods disclosed herein relate to robotic surgical systems with built-in navigation capability for patient position tracking and surgical instrument guidance during a surgical procedure, without the need for a separate navigation system. Robotic based navigation of surgical instruments during surgical procedures allows for easy registration and operative volume identification and tracking. The systems, apparatus, and methods herein allow re-registration, model updates, and operative volumes to be performed intra-operatively with minimal disruption to the surgical workflow. In certain embodiments, navigational assistance can be provided to a surgeon by displaying a surgical instrument's position relative to a patient's anatomy. Additionally, by revising pre-operatively defined data such as operative volumes, patient-robot orientation relationships, and anatomical models of the patient, a higher degree of precision and lower risk of complications and serious medical error can be achieved.

In one embodiment, a method of repairing a heart valve accesses an interior of a patient's beating heart minimally invasively and inserts one or more sutures into each of a plurality of heart valve leaflets with a suturing instrument. The suture ends of the sutures are divided into suture pairs, with each pair including one suture end from a suture inserted into a first valve leaflet and one suture end from a suture inserted into a second valve leaflet. One or more tourniquet tubes is advanced over the suture pairs to the leaflets to draw the sutures together to coapt the leaflets and then the sutures are secured in that position.

A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that visually simulates a virtual volumetric scene of a body cavity of a patient from a point of view of a surgical instrument residing in the cavity of the patient, wherein the surgical instrument, as provided, may be a steerable surgical catheter with a biopsy device and/or a surgical catheter with a side-exiting medical instrument, among others. Additionally, systems, methods and devices are provided for forming a respiratory-gated point cloud of a patient's respiratory system and for placing a localization element in an organ of a patient.

A method for calibrating a surgical device is provided. The method includes acquiring first data including a position and/or an orientation of a first object disposed on the surgical device at a first location; acquiring second data including a position and/or an orientation of a second object disposed on the surgical device at a second location; determining third data including a position and/or an orientation of the first object relative to the second location; and determining a position and/or an orientation of the second object relative to the second location based at least in part on the first data, the second data, and the third data.