Sonification as a reliable alternative to conventional visual surgical navigation.

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Image-guided surgical systems improve accuracy but face challenges in usability and workflow integration.
• Multimodal feedback, engaging multiple senses, can enhance task performance in perceptual studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate an alternative computer-assisted surgical navigation method using sonification.
• To introduce and evaluate a novel four-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) sonification technique for navigated pedicle screw placement.

Main Methods:

• Developed a four-DOF sonification solution for alignment tasks using frequency modulation synthesis.
• Compared the accuracy and execution time of the sonification method against traditional visual navigation.
• Conducted a phantom study with 17 surgeons performing lumbar pedicle screw placement.

Main Results:

• The sonification-based navigation method achieved accuracy comparable to the state-of-the-art visual navigation.
• The proposed method reduced the need for surgeons to divert attention to visual displays.
• Surgeons could maintain focus on surgical tools and anatomy during the procedure.

Conclusions:

• Sonification offers a viable alternative for computer-assisted surgical navigation, enhancing usability and workflow.
• Multisensory feedback, specifically auditory cues, can improve surgeon performance and reduce cognitive load.
• This approach holds promise for advancing surgical assistance systems beyond current visual-centric paradigms.