Registration using 3D-printed rigid templates outperforms manually scanned surface matching in image-guided temporal...

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Image-guided surgery (IGS) is crucial for minimally invasive otological procedures, demanding high accuracy.
• The noninvasive Surface Template-Assisted Marker Positioning (STAMP) method uses a rigid temporal bone surface template.
• STAMP is unsuitable for procedures where the bony surface is not exposed, like endoscopic surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and evaluate the feasibility of the STAMP method for skin-based registration (S-STAMP) in otological IGS.
• To compare the accuracy of S-STAMP with conventional surface matching and invasive marker registration.

Main Methods:

• A phantom with a rigid box and soft material was used to simulate surgical conditions.
• The modified STAMP method (S-STAMP) was applied to the skin surface of the phantom.
• Target Registration Error (TRE) was measured and compared between S-STAMP, conventional surface matching, and invasive fiducial marker registration.

Main Results:

• S-STAMP demonstrated significantly lower TRE compared to conventional surface matching across all measurement points.
• However, S-STAMP exhibited a significantly higher TRE than registration using invasive fiducial markers.

Conclusions:

• The S-STAMP method provides a noninvasive strategy to enhance IGS accuracy for otological procedures.
• It offers a viable alternative to conventional methods when bony surfaces are not accessible.
• This approach improves surgical precision without necessitating additional invasive procedures for patients.