Integration of optical tracking system for determination of the position and orientation of instruments during the surgery

Abstract

The purpose of this project was the design and implementation of a complete system for acquisition and fusion of data provided by an optical tracking system and a set of cameras (including an arthroscope). Synchronous data acquisition was a major requirement. For this purpose we designed a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), that assures perfect synchrony between equipments, and can be configured to use different trigger sources. In addition, we developed a complete software architecture in C++, that runs in a work-station and makes the communication with the opto-tracker and cameras. The software enables the insertion of different modules for data processing. We developed a Visualization Module using OpenGL and Qt, and a recording module that enables data acquisition for off-line processing in Matlab. In future work, the navigation system will be extended with 3D reconstruction/ registration computer vision algorithms. These algorithms will use the intra-operative endoscopic video, enhanced with the pose information, for estimating the 3D pose of organs and anatomical structures in the knee. The final goal is to build a complete navigation system to assist surgeons during arthroscopic interventions.