System for laparoscopic tissue tracking

This paper describes the development of a laparoscopic tissue tracking system for use during minimally-invasive, image-guided abdominal surgery. The system is designed to measure organ position and shape to permit coregistration of preoperative, volumetric image data with the actual anatomy encountered during surgery. The laparoscopic tissue tracking system relies on projection of a scanned laser beam through a conventional laparoscope. The projected laser is then imaged using a second laparoscope oriented obliquely to the projecting laparoscope. Knowledge of the optical characteristics of the laparoscopes, along with their relative positions in space, allows determination of the three-dimensional coordinates of the illuminated point. Rapid localization permits tracking of tissue motion due to respiration or surgical manipulation. This paper provides a brief overview of the system, discusses system accuracy measured during laboratory testing, and shows data obtained from use of the system during surgery on an experimental animal