Introducing a brain-computer interface to facilitate intraoperative medical imaging control - a feasibility study.

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Current surgical planning relies on preoperative imaging, requiring cumbersome intraoperative interaction with 2D monitors and external controls.
• Existing methods for intraoperative image manipulation are outside the sterile field, posing challenges for surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel Brain Computer Interface (BCI) for hands-free, direct manipulation of medical images during surgery.
• To enable surgeons to control and navigate patient images using only brain signals, bypassing traditional interfaces.

Main Methods:

• A software environment was created to display 3D patient images and enable hands-free manipulation via a BCI detecting visually evoked signals.
• Ten orthopedic surgeons performed standardized image navigation tasks using the BCI interface on CT scans.
• Accuracy was measured by the error in locating predefined 3D points, and user acceptance was assessed via a Likert scale survey.

Main Results:

• The developed BCI interface achieved a mean image control error of 15.51 mm (SD: 9.57).
• Surgeons rated user acceptance at 4.07 (SD: 0.96) and overall impression at 3.77 (SD: 1.02) on a five-point Likert scale.
• A significant correlation was found between users' overall impression and their achieved calibration score.

Conclusions:

• The brain-guided medical image control system using BCI shows potential for future intraoperative applications.
• The primary limitation identified for clinical implementation is the interaction delay.
• Further development is needed to optimize the BCI for seamless intraoperative surgical guidance.