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Sensor-based neuronavigation: evaluation of a large continuous patient population
Bjoern Kuehn1, Sven Mularski, Sven Schoenherr
1Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany. bjoern.kuehn@charite.de
Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Sensor-based neuronavigation systems demonstrate acceptable accuracy in neurosurgery, with minor errors in fiducial registration, target registration, brain shift, and instrument positioning. Surgeons should remain vigilant, especially with small lesions and potential electromagnetic interference.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Medical Imaging
- Surgical Navigation
Background:
- Sensor-based neuronavigation utilizes electromagnetic fields and sensors to track patient anatomy and surgical instruments during neurosurgical procedures.
- Accurate instrument and anatomy tracking is crucial for guiding complex brain surgeries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of sensor-based neuronavigation systems in a large cohort of neurosurgical patients.
- To quantify specific error metrics associated with sensor-based tracking.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of 250 patients undergoing various neurosurgical procedures over 5.5 years.
- Utilized a direct current (DC) pulsed sensor-based electromagnetic navigation system.
- Measured fiducial registration error (FRE), target registration error (TRE), brain shift, and position error (PE) across different surgical indications.
Main Results:
- Overall mean FRE: 1.66mm.
- Overall mean TRE: 1.33mm (centroid) and 1.59mm (lesional).
- Overall mean brain shift: 1.61mm; Overall mean PE: 0.92mm.
Conclusions:
- Sensor-based neuronavigation generally operates within acceptable error margins for neurosurgery.
- Neurosurgeons should exercise caution with small lesions and be mindful of potential electromagnetic interference from surgical equipment.
