External tracking devices and tracked tool calibration
Published in Handbook of Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention (Book), 2020
Recommended citation: Chen ECS, Lasso A, Fichtinger G, (2020). "External tracking devices and tracked tool calibration"; in S.K. Zhou, D. Rueckert, and G. Fichtinger (Eds.) Handbook of Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, Chap. 31, pp. 777-794. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816176-0.00036-3
Spatial measure device, i.e. tracking system, is the enabling technology for any surgical navigation system. The primary function of a tracking system is to infer the pose (orientation and position) of surgical instrument intraoperatively in real time. The secondary function is patient registration: locations of anatomical landmarks can be inferred by the use of a tracked and calibrated surgical instrument. Because the tracking system can only track its pose sensor directly, a pose sensor must be integrated into the surgical instrument; the geometry of the instrument must be related to its pose sensor via a spatial calibration process. This chapter provides a short overview on the principle tracking technology, error propagation, and specifics of surgical instrument calibration.