Planning of skull base surgery in the virtual workbench: clinical experiences

Based on the KRDL Virtual Workbench, we present a neurosurgical planning system called VIVIAN (Virtual Intracranial Visualization And Navigation). This VR environment allows for fast and intuitive interaction with three-dimensional multimodal (MRI, MRA, MRV, CT) patient specific data-sets. The user reaches behind a mirror into a 3D workspace where the 3D data is surrounded by interactive virtual tools-racks. Tumors, blood vessels, cranial nerves and surgically relevant parts of the brain are segmented by interactive control of density transfer-functions or by manual outlining and tracing tools. A neurosurgical procedure is planned by using various visualization and measurement tools and the system allows for the simulation of bone drilling and tissue removal. We have planned 16 cases which required tumor surgery at the cranial base. VIVIAN provided an efficient and comprehensive way to understand pre-operatively the complexity of anatomical and pathological relationships. The ideal craniotomy and the extent of the required skull base exposure could be specified accurately.