| abstract |
Systems and methods for endoscopic procedures employ a first technique to ensure initial correct alignment of an endoscope ( 100 ) with a desired target ( 10 ). A reference image ( 51 ) is then acquired from an imaging arrangement associated with the endoscope. During a subsequent stage of the procedure, tracking of the endoscope position relative to the target is performed partially or entirely by image-based tracking by comparing features in real-time video image ( 52 ) produced by imaging arrangement with features in the reference image ( 51 ). The feature comparison may be performed visually by a user, or may be automated to offer more specific corrective suggestions to the user. |