[Measurement of tissue-shift for head neck rotation]

During neck surgery the head of the patient is located in such a position that the neck-tissue is deformed compared to the normal head-position. The consideration of this tissue deformation of the neck during head rotation is the first step to using preoperative image data for medical navigation.

The tissue shift was measured and analyzed based on MRT-image data of a subject group of 5 patients.

The big vessels, lying contralateral to the rotation, demonstrated a larger shift than those vessels, lying ipsilateral. The shift was nonlinear to the head rotation and the shift of the V. jugularis interna was less pronounced than the shift of the A. carotis communis even though they both run in the same adventitia. In the cranial neck section, the movement of the tissue was larger than in the caudal neck section.

The knowledge about tissue shifts in different head positions should promote intraoperative, minimally invasive procedures. The expectation is that such examinations facilitate the navigation in neck surgery with online calculation of tissue shifts.