Surgical Navigation System for Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Based on Mixed Reality

Area of Science:

• Medical Technology
• Surgical Navigation
• Mixed Reality Applications

Background:

• Brachytherapy requires precise instrument placement for effective treatment.
• Current methods may involve multiple imaging scans, increasing procedure time and patient burden.
• Integrating preoperative plans with real-time surgical data can improve accuracy and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a personalized mixed reality (MR) surgical assistance system for brachytherapy.
• To enable real-time tracking of surgical tools and fusion of preoperative plans with patient anatomy.
• To assess the system's accuracy and efficiency in preclinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A novel, modified multi-information fusion method was employed.
• The quaternion-based iterative closest point (QICP) algorithm and hand-eye calibration were used for preoperative plan fusion.
• An electromagnetic (EM) tracker facilitated real-time surgical tool tracking.
• Phantom and animal experiments were conducted to validate system performance.

Main Results:

• The system successfully fused virtual organs and preoperative plans with patient-specific data.
• Real-time tracking of surgical tools was achieved without the need for repeated CT scans.
• Phantom experiments showed an average needle location error of 0.957 mm.
• Animal experiments demonstrated a needle insertion error of 2.416 mm.

Conclusions:

• The developed MR surgical assistance system offers a personalized and efficient approach to brachytherapy.
• The system's accuracy in preclinical trials supports its potential for clinical use.
• This technology can potentially reduce procedure time and improve surgical outcomes in brachytherapy.