Neurosurgical craniotomy localization using a virtual reality planning system versus intraoperative image-guided...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Technology
• Surgical Planning

Background:

• Accurate craniotomy placement is critical for successful minimally invasive neurosurgery using frameless neuronavigation.
• Virtual reality (VR) offers a novel approach to surgical planning and guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of virtual reality (VR) for craniotomy planning in minimally invasive neurosurgery.
• To compare the accuracy of VR planning with standard frameless neuronavigation.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 48 patients undergoing minimally invasive cranial procedures.
• Craniotomies were planned using VR measurements and subsequently guided by frameless neuronavigation.
• Comparison of paired craniotomy locations, defining success by complete pathology removal without enlargement.

Main Results:

• VR accurately measured craniotomy size and position in 98% of cases.
• Neuronavigation correctly identified the craniotomy site in 92% of cases.
• No significant difference in craniotomy localization accuracy was found between VR planning and neuronavigation (p=0.36).

Conclusions:

• Both VR surgery planning and neuronavigation provide accurate craniotomy identification for minimally invasive neurosurgery.
• VR planning functions as an effective backup system, ensuring successful minimally invasive operations even if neuronavigation fails.