A shared-housing ultrasound transducer and machine-vision camera system is disclosed for registering the transducer's x, y, z position in space and pitch, yaw, and roll orientation with respect to an object, such as a patient's body. The position and orientation are correlated with transducer scan data, and scans of the same region of the object are compared in order to reduce ultrasound artifacts and speckles. The system can be extended to interoperative gamma probes or other non-contact sensor probes and medical instruments. Methods are disclosed for computer or remote guiding of a sensor probe or instrument with respect to saved positions and orientations of the sensor probe.

Methods and systems for performing computer-assisted surgery, including robot-assisted image-guided surgery. Embodiments include marker devices for an image guided surgery system, marker systems and arrays for tracking a robotic arm using a motion tracking system, and image guided surgery methods and systems using optical sensors.

A computer-implemented method for creating an activity-optimized cutting guides for surgical procedures includes receiving one or more pre-operative images depicting one or more anatomical joints of a patient, and creating a three-dimensional anatomical model of the one or more anatomical joints based on the one or more pre-operative images. One or more patient-specific anatomical measurements are determined based on the three-dimensional anatomical model. A statistical model of joint performance is applied to the patient-specific anatomical measurements to identify one or more cut angles for performing a surgical procedure. A patient-specific cutting guide is created that comprises one or more apertures positioned based on the one or more cut angles.

An assembly for manipulating a bone includes a first manipulating element configured to be attached to a first portion of bone and including a location emitting signal and a second manipulating element configured to be attached to a second portion of bone and including a sensor detecting the location emitting signal to provide a position and orientation signal of the first and second manipulating elements relative to one another. The assembly also includes a tracking unit including a processor tracking movement of the first and second manipulating elements relative to one another in a plurality of dimensions using the position and orientation signals.

A method for guiding resection of local tissue from a patient includes generating at least one image of the patient, automatically determining a plurality of surgical guidance cues indicating three-dimensional spatial properties associated with the local tissue, and generating a visualization of the surgical guidance cues relative to the surface. A system for generating surgical guidance cues for resection of a local tissue from a patient includes a location module for processing at least one image of the patient to determine three-dimensional spatial properties of the local tissue, and a surgical cue generator for generating the surgical guidance cues based upon the three-dimensional spatial properties. A patient-specific locator form for guiding resection of local tissue from a patient includes a locator form surface matching surface of the patient, and a plurality of features indicating a plurality of surgical guidance cues, respectively.

Methods and systems for outputting depth data during a medical procedure on a patient. Depth data is outputted, representing at least one of relative depth data and general depth data. Tracking information about the position and orientation of a medical instrument and depth information about variations in depth over a site of interest are used. Relative depth data represents the depth information relative to the position and orientation of the instrument. General depth data represents the depth information over the site of interest independently of the position and orientation of the instrument.

A splint device (100) for robotically-guided surgery includes elongate first and second splint portions (200, 400) each having opposed longitudinal ends and an interface edge extending between the ends, wherein the respective interface edges (250, 450) are arranged as a complement to each other. First and second alignment elements (800A, 800B) engaged with the first and second splint portions are arranged to interact with each other such that a substantially consistent gap is defined between the first and second interface edges, from the first ends to the second ends of the first and second splint portions. A threaded member (900) is engaged between the first and second splint portions and arranged to advance the first and second interface edges toward each other in response to advancement of the threaded member. A tracking portion (1000) having a kinematic mount (1100) engaged therewith is engaged with the first or second splint portion and extends outwardly therefrom. An associated method is also provided.

An exemplary robotic system and control method is disclosed that employs magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) guided visual-servo positioning of a medical robot system. In an example, an MR Elastography (MRE) actuator system is disclosed that employs the exemplary MRI-guided visual servoing to assess tissues based on its mechanical properties. The exemplary MRI-guided positioning is directly and solely used as a feedback sensor through its visual output to control multiple degrees of movement of the MRE actuators. The exemplary MRI-guided positioning may be employed in various diagnostics, minimally invasive surgery, or medical procedures for any number of a medical instrument and interventional procedures that can be conducted in an MRI environment or in proximity to an MRI scanner.

A kit including a medical guide template, and a sterilizable receptacle accommodating the guide template, the kit being configured to allow deformation of the template into an operational medical guide.

A controller controls a movement of an endoscope to cause the endoscope to follow a surgical instrument. The controller includes a processor. The processor acquires position information including the position of the surgical instrument, acquires scene information associated with a procedure scene to be observed through the endoscope, determines an offset parameter, which determines the position of the target point with respect to a predetermined fiducial point in the field of view of the endoscope, of a target point on the basis of the scene information, sets the position of the target point with respect to the fiducial point on the basis of the offset parameter, and causes the endoscope to follow the surgical instrument such that the surgical instrument is disposed at the target point, by controlling a movement of the endoscope on the basis of the position of the target point and the position of the surgical instrument.