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Objective The software requirements for computer-aided navigation tools in image-guided therapy become increasingly complex as a result of new imaging and tracking hardware, novel application areas and regulatory restrictions. The objective of this work was to develop a new software framework to meet the needs of emerging image-guided procedures and therapies that require multi-modal imaging and tracking. Materials and methodsBuilding on existing open source tools, a software framework was developed to accommodate dynamic data-structures, dynamic input and output interfaces for interventional devices, and dynamic visualization of data. Arbitrary, yet meaningful, connections can be established between these entities in order to implement customized applications that target specific clinical procedures. This framework is called the SIGN. Results A series of test applications have been developed, showing the versatility and usability of the image-guided navigation framework. Conclusion SIGN addresses new challenges in image-guided therapy related to multi-modal imaging and tracking. The dynamic configurability of SIGN allows for rapid development of new applications.

The software requirements for computer-aided navigation tools in image-guided therapy are becoming increasingly complex as a result of new possibilities in imaging and tracking hardware, novel application areas and regulatory restrictions. A new software framework has been developed to meet the needs of emerging image-guided procedures and therapies that require multi-modal imaging and tracking. This framework accommodates dynamic data-structures, dynamic input and output interfaces for interventional devices, and dynamic visualization of data. Arbitrary, yet meaningful, connections can be established between these entities in order to implement customized applications that target specific clinical procedures. A series of demonstration applications have been developed in order to emphasize different aspects of the framework, and are presented here.

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