Provided herein are articles that comprise a fluorophore (such as a near infrared (NIR) agent or a fluorescent protein) affixed to a surgical article. Methods of detecting the surgical article within the body cavity of a subject are also provided. In some aspects, the detection of a surgical article left within the body cavity of the subject can occur prior to closing the body cavity after a surgical procedure. Methods of making the surgical articles are also provided.

Systems and methods for detecting metal clips inserted within a portion of a body of a patient are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a clip detector assembly includes a detector having a ferrous member, a transmitting coil around the ferrous member and configured to induce a current in the metal clip, and a receiving coil around the ferrous member and configured to receive a magnetic field generated by the current induced in the metal clip. The assembly can further include a control circuit having a band-pass filter configured to pass electrical signals induced by the magnetic field from the receiving coil that are within at most 35 kHz of a resonance frequency of the metal clip. The assembly still further includes a user notification component configured to alert a user to a location of the metal clip.

A robotic system and methods are provided. The robotic system includes a tool and a manipulator with links for moving the tool. A controller implements a virtual simulation wherein the tool is represented as a virtual volume interacting with a virtual boundary defined by a mesh of polygonal elements. The controller computes a reactive force responsive to penetration of polygonal elements by the virtual volume. The reactive force is computed based on a penetration factor being a function of a geometry of the virtual volume bound relative to a geometry of the polygonal element. The controller applies the reactive force to the virtual volume to reduce penetration of the polygonal element by the virtual volume. The controller commands the manipulator to move the tool in accordance with application of the reactive force to the virtual volume to constrain movement of the tool relative to the virtual boundary.

A lesion detection system for use with a patient, comprising an optoacoustic guide wire assembly configured to be insertable into a patient's tissue. The optical acoustic guide wire assembly can be comprised of an optical waveguide have a first end and a second end, a light source coupled to the second end of the optical waveguide, wherein said light source configured to emit energy to the patient's tissue, at least one transducer configured to detect an ultrasound signal emitted from the patient's tissue in response to energy emitted from the light source, and a computer system.

Provided herein are systems, devices, assemblies, and methods for generating exciter signals, for example, to activate a remotely located tag. The systems, devices, assemblies, and methods find use in a variety of application including medical applications for the locating of a tag in a subject.

A system (1010, 1110) for identifying a landmark is disclosed. The system includes a field generator (1016, 1116) for generating a magnetic field, an orthopedic implant (1030, 1130) located within the magnetic field, the implant having at least one landmark (1028, 1128), a removable probe (1029, 1129) with a first magnetic sensor (1026, 1126), a landmark identifier (1016, 1116) with a second magnetic sensor (1020, 1120) and a processor (1012, 1112) for comparing sensor data from the first and second sensor and using the set distance to calculate the position of the landmark identifier relative to the at least one landmark. The system allows for blind targeting of one or more landmarks.

Systems and methods are provided in which local tissue diagnostic measurements are correlated with archival local tissue diagnostic data from prior tissue analyses to supplement diagnostic measurements with tissue analysis data from prior tissue analyses having similar local tissue diagnostic data. The tissue analysis data may include information such as pathology data, outcome data, and diagnosis data. The archived local tissue diagnostic data and the tissue analysis data may be stored in a database, and employed for a wide variety of methods, involving preoperative, intraoperative, and/or postoperative phases of a medical procedure. Methods and systems are also provided for displaying, on a medical image shown in a user interface, hyperlinked reference markers associated with tissue analyses, where the reference markers are shown at locations corresponding to local tissue analyses, and where associated diagnostic data and/or tissue analysis may be viewed by selecting a given reference marker.

A computerized visual orientation surgery assist system and method receives initial anatomic image information of a patient scan, which may be taken at a registration position of the patient; receives initial surgical instrument positional information from a first positional sensor positioned on a surgical instrument, where the positional sensor senses three-dimensional spatial position transmits the surgical instrument positional information; establishes the initial surgical instrument positional information as a surgical instrument origin in three-dimensional space for the initial anatomic image information; displays a visual representation of the initial anatomic image information on a computerized display, the visual representation including a surgical instrument representation based on the initial surgical instrument positional information; receives subsequent surgical instrument positional information from the first sensor associated with movement of the surgical instrument; and updates the computerized display to reflect the subsequent surgical instrument positional information.

An apparatus is provided that is visible by both a three dimensional (3D) scanner system of a medical navigation system and a camera of the medical navigation system. The apparatus comprises a rigid member and a plurality of markers attached to the rigid member. Each of the plurality of markers includes a reflective surface portion visible by the camera and a distinct identifiable portion visible by the 3D scanner system. The apparatus further includes a connector mechanism to connect the apparatus to a reference location. The apparatus is in a field of view of the 3D scanner system and the camera within a timeframe of the 3D scan.

A real-time applicator position monitoring system (RAPS) measures brachytherapy applicator displacement in real-time by computing the relative displacement between two infrared reflective targets, one attached to the applicator and the other to the patient's skin. In an aspect, RAPS can be used with any brachytherapy application. RAPS measures the applicator motion during HDR brachytherapy treatment, as well as during the transfer of the patient from the imaging room (e.g., where the CT and MR scanners are located) to the HDR BT operating/treatment room.