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. The surgical instrument navigation system includes: a surgical instrument; an imaging device which is operable to capture scan data representative of an internal region of interest within a given patient; a tracking subsystem that employs electro-magnetic sensing to capture in real-time position data indicative of the position of the surgical instrument; a data processor which is operable to render a volumetric, perspective image of the internal region of interest from a point of view of the surgical instrument; and a display which is operable to display the volumetric perspective image of the patient.

Embodiments are directed to a medical robot system including a robot coupled to an end-effectuator element with the robot configured to control movement and positioning of the end-effectuator in relation to the patient. One embodiment is a method for removing bone with a robot system comprising: taking a two-dimensional slice through a computed tomography scan volume of target anatomy; placing a perimeter on a pathway to the target anatomy; and controlling a drill assembly with the robot system to remove bone along the pathway in the intersection of the perimeter and the two-dimensional slice.

A system for treating dysfunctional SI joints that includes a multi-function bone structure prosthesis adapted to be delivered to and inserted into a dysfunctional SI joint via a posterior approach, the multi-function bone structure prosthesis, when disposed in a dysfunctional SI joint, being adapted to (i) stabilize the dysfunctional SI joint, (ii) induce proliferation, and/or growth and/or remodeling and/or regeneration of osseous tissue and, thereby, healing and arthrodesis of the dysfunctional SI joint, (iii) attenuate pain associated with the dysfunctional SI joint via neurostimulation, and (iv) monitor physiological and/or biomechanical parameters associated with the dysfunctional SI joint via one or more sensor systems.

A magnetic stimulation probe is provided to produce a probe electromagnetic field within a patient. The magnetic stimulation probe has a first generally planar magnetic field generating coil having a first coil trace having a decreasing radial spiral which passes about a first central portion, the first coil trace having a first electric current traveling in a first direction and having a first plurality of separated portions each having a first respective set of different radii from the first central portion along a bisecting line. The first planar coil has a second coil trace having a second electric current traveling in a second direction which is parallel to the first direction, and having a second plurality of separated portions each having a second respective set of different radii from the first central portion along the bisecting line along the bisecting line. Two such coils can be arranged to produce a high intensity focused magnetic field at a distance from the probe. The probe electromagnetic field is operable to induce a current in a conductive material.

A method includes, in a processor, receiving signals from (i) a first position sensor disposed on a shaft of a catheter, and (ii) a second position sensor disposed on a distal end of a sheath of the catheter. Based on the signals received from the first position sensor and the second position sensor, an event is detected in which an expandable distal-end assembly of the catheter is being withdrawn into the sheath while still at least partially expanded. A responsive action is initiated in response to detecting the event.

Disclosed is a method for generating high resolution point cloud data for electro-anatomical mapping comprising receiving sparsely measured point cloud data having a plurality of data points. Surface mesh data comprising mesh points defining triangles on a myocardial surface is generated. The point cloud data is mapped to the surface mesh data. For each point of the surface mesh data that cannot be mapped to the point cloud data because there is a missing data point in point cloud data, an interpolation operation is performed based on the point cloud data within the neighbourhood of the point to generate a value for the missing data point. The interpolation operation is repeated N times. For every repetition, a difference between the value for the missing data point generated from the current iteration and the value for the missing data point generated from the immediately preceding iteration is compared, until the difference is below a threshold.

A sensing unit for use in-body comprises a variable impedance circuit for connection to the distal end of a transmission line and reflecting a carrier signal received from the transmission line. The variable impedance circuit comprises a variable impedance component having an impedance which varies non-linearly with applied voltage, a sensor for generating a voltage in response to a stimulus and a voltage bias system for creating a voltage bias for the variable impedance component. The voltage bias sets the operation point of the variable impedance component, such that the voltage changes from the sensor change the impedance of the variable impedance component non-linearly.

Prostheses are described for stabilizing dysfunctional sacroiliac (SI) joints. The prostheses are sized and configured to be press-fit into surgically created pilot SI joint openings in dysfunctional SI joint structures. The prostheses have a pontoon shape with opposed elongated partially cylindrical sections connected by a bridge section. The partially cylindrical sections and, in some instances, the bridge section have a porous structure.

A catheter calibration system includes a calibration chamber, a receiver and a processor. The calibration chamber is configured to generate a calibration magnetic field that oscillates at a first frequency. The calibration chamber includes a cavity for inserting a distal end of a catheter having one or more magnetic-field sensors. The receiver is configured to be connected to the catheter, to receive from the catheter one or more signals, which are generated by the one or more magnetic-field sensors in response to the calibration magnetic field, and to convert the one or more signals into one or more respective intermediate frequency (IF) signals having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency. The processor is configured to receive the one or more IF signals from the receiver and to calculate catheter navigation calibration data from the one or more IF signals.

An image generation apparatus includes a plurality of electrodes, a plurality of sensor cells, and a controller configured to provide a tomographic image of a measurement object on the basis of an intensity of a magnetic field generated by an alternating current supplied via the plurality of electrodes. The controller acquires the intensity of the magnetic field via the plurality of sensor cells.