Holographic Augmented Reality for DIEP Flap Harvest

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Navigation
• Augmented Reality in Medicine

Background:

• Accurate identification of epigastric arteries and perforators is vital for deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap harvest.
• Computed tomographic (CT) scans provide patient-specific anatomical data crucial for surgical planning.
• Traditional methods for vessel localization can be challenging and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative workflow utilizing holographic augmented reality for visualizing patient-specific anatomy.
• To demonstrate the application of this technology in the context of DIEP flap surgery.
• To assess the potential of augmented reality for intraoperative surgical guidance.

Main Methods:

• Development of a software application for Microsoft HoloLens to render patient-specific anatomy as a hologram.
• Registration of the anatomy hologram to the patient using natural landmarks (abdominal nevi).
• Implementation of real-time patient tracking with a marker to maintain hologram alignment during movement.

Main Results:

• Holographic augmented reality successfully visualized the epigastric arteries and perforators.
• The developed workflow enabled pre-operative visualization of critical anatomy for DIEP flap harvest.
• The system demonstrated accurate registration and tracking of the holographic anatomy.

Conclusions:

• Holographic augmented reality is a viable tool for pre-operative visualization of vascular anatomy in DIEP flap surgery.
• The described workflow is intuitive and has potential for intraoperative application.
• This technology could be adapted for other flap surgeries and surgical procedures requiring precise anatomical visualization.