Augmented Reality-Based Contextual Guidance Through Surgical Tool Tracking in Neurosurgery

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Imaging
• Augmented Reality

Background:

• External ventricular drain (EVD) placement is a critical neurosurgical procedure requiring extensive surgeon training for accuracy.
• Current methods for EVD placement demand high levels of skill and experience.
• Improving accuracy and reducing the learning curve for EVD procedures is a significant clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate NeuroLens, an augmented reality (AR) system designed to provide real-time guidance for EVD catheter placement.
• To assess the impact of NeuroLens on the accuracy and efficiency of EVD procedures performed by neurosurgeons and medical students.
• To investigate the relationship between user engagement with AR guidance and procedural outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Development of the NeuroLens AR system, integrating registered holographic ventricular models and catheter trajectory guidance.
• Tracking of the EVD catheter to provide real-time feedback on trajectory, angle, and distance to target.
• A study involving 33 medical students and 9 neurosurgeons using NeuroLens for EVD catheter insertion in a realistic head phantom.

Main Results:

• NeuroLens use improved EVD placement accuracy by 39.4% for Year 1 students, 45.7% for Years 2-4 students, and 16.7% for neurosurgeons.
• Increased focus on NeuroLens guidance correlated with better outcomes for students.
• Novice surgeons demonstrated greater improvement in accuracy with NeuroLens assistance compared to expert surgeons.

Conclusions:

• NeuroLens shows significant potential as an effective tool for aiding and educating neurosurgeons in EVD catheter placement.
• AR-based guidance systems can enhance surgical precision and potentially shorten the training period for complex neurosurgical procedures.
• The system's ability to provide multi-faceted guidance (trajectory, angle, distance) is key to its efficacy.