Laparoscopic augmented reality registration for oncological resection site repair

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Medical Imaging
• Augmented Reality

Background:

• Laparoscopic oncological surgery, such as partial nephrectomy, presents challenges in resection site repair.
• Augmented reality (AR) navigation offers potential solutions for improved surgical guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an AR registration workflow to address time constraints during laparoscopic resection site repair.
• To improve the efficiency and accuracy of AR navigation during critical surgical phases.

Main Methods:

• A two-step registration process involving primary registration before resection and secondary registration using artificial fiducials after resection.
• A simulated-use study with participants comparing the proposed fiducial-based registration with traditional landmark-based registration.

Main Results:

• The artificial fiducial registration was significantly faster than anatomical landmark registration.
• The proposed method showed a trend towards higher accuracy when primary registration was successful.
• A quantifiable accuracy loss of 2.35 mm was observed between primary and secondary registration.

Conclusions:

• The developed AR registration pipeline is a successful proof-of-concept for laparoscopic resection site repair.
• The fiducial-based approach appears more suitable than landmark-based registration for this surgical phase.
• Further research is needed to establish clinical applicability and suitability.