DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SPECIFYING MAGNETIC FIELD FOR SURGICAL APPLICATIONS

A device and method for specifying the orientation of a magnetic field produced in a patient to aid surgical procedures involving an implanted magnet. The device includes a processor, a pointing device, a magnet assembly generating a magnetic field, a display, and a medical imaging device that provides three-dimensional imaging of an operating region of a patient during surgery. Fluoroscopic images of an operating region of the patient in which the magnetic delivery vehicle is implanted are shown on a screen, each image representing a projection in space of the operating region. The pointing device is operated to move a cursor from a projection of a present location of the magnetic delivery vehicle to a projection of a desired future location of the magnetic delivery vehicle. When the locations are completely specified, the currents applied to the magnets in the magnetic assembly are controlled by the processor to produce a magnetic field to move or orient the magnetic delivery vehicle from the present location towards the desired future location.