Inventors:
David W. Smith - Scottsdale AZ, US
Alan M. Pitt - Phoenix AZ, US
Nicholas Theodore - Phoenix AZ, US
Neil Crawford - Tempe AZ, US
Assignee:
Catholic Healthcare West - Phoenix AZ
International Classification:
A61B 5/05
Abstract:
The present invention concerns a system for utilizing radio frequency signals to dynamically determine the location of a medical device throughout a procedure and to improve navigation of the medical device. For these purposes, a plurality of RF receivers are mounted at operative locations in the operating room and operate on the same clock signal. The system also utilizes a diagnostic medical image such as an MRI, and overlays the position feedback signal on the image. This allows, for example, a surgeon to pick a desired spot on the diagnostic image, and then cause a robotic arm driven device to be moved to that particular spot inside the human body.