Quality Assessment of Electromagnetic Localizers in the Context of 3D Ultrasound
Abstract
Electromagnetic spatial localizers represent low cost and flexible solution for clinical free-hand three dimensional ultrasound system. Their performances condition the accuracy of the calibration and the ultrasound reconstructed volume and the robustness of the acquisition stage. In this study, we evaluate the resolution and the accuracy for translations and rotations of two widespread localizers in quite metallic environment: Fastrak and Flock of Bird. Our experiments show that their resolution for position is under 0.2mm at 60cm, and their resolution for orientation is around 0.06 degrees. For translations below 30cm, their position accuracy is around 1.5mm, and the angular accuracy is under 1 degree. These results show that theses devices provide sufficient accuracy for use in a clinical context.