Modern Image-Guided Surgery: A Narrative Review of Medical Image Processing and Visualization.

Area of Science:

• Medical image analysis
• Surgical technology
• Computer-assisted interventions

Background:

• Medical image analysis is crucial for image-guided surgery (IGS).
• Advancements in imaging modalities present challenges in information extraction.
• Sophisticated visualization and digital reality technologies can significantly improve surgical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and organize key components of IGS.
• To provide new perspectives on medical image processing and visualization in IGS.
• To explore the impact of advanced visualization technologies on surgical outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of literature up to mid-2022.
• Systematic summary of basic, mainstream, and state-of-the-art image processing methods.
• Analysis of visualization technologies such as augmented/mixed/virtual reality (AR/MR/VR) in IGS.

Main Results:

• Identified and organized core medical image processing techniques relevant to IGS.
• Detailed the integration and benefits of AR/MR/VR technologies in enhancing IGS.
• Provided a comprehensive overview of current and emerging visualization applications in surgery.

Conclusions:

• Effective medical image processing and advanced visualization are essential for the future of IGS.
• AR/MR/VR technologies offer significant potential to enhance surgical precision and outcomes.
• Further research in image processing and visualization is needed to address challenges and opportunities in IGS.