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Updated: May 14, 2026
Technical Approach for Infrared Tracking for Soft Tissue Navigation with a Holographic Head-Mounted Display and Preclinical Validation
Published on: September 2, 2025
Preliminary study on the clinical application of augmented reality neuronavigation
1Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Objective:
To develop an augmented reality (AR) neuronavigation system with Web cameras and examine its clinical utility.
Methods:
The utility of the system was evaluated in three patients with brain tumors. One patient had a glioblastoma and two patients had convexity meningiomas. Our navigation system comprised the open-source software 3D Slicer (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA), the infrared optical tracking sensor Polaris (Northern Digital Inc., Waterloo, Canada), and Web cameras. We prepared two different types of Web cameras: a handheld type and a headband type. Optical markers were attached to each Web camera. We used this system for skin incision planning before the operation, during craniotomy, and after dural incision.
Results:
We were able to overlay these images in all cases. In Case 1, accuracy could not be evaluated because the tumor was not on the surface, though it was generally suitable for the outline of the external ear and the skin. In Cases 2 and 3, the augmented reality error was ∼2 to 3 mm.
Conclusion:
AR technology was examined with Web cameras in neurosurgical operations. Our results suggest that this technology is clinically useful in neurosurgical procedures, particularly for brain tumors close to the brain surface.
