Real-Time Integration of Optical Coherence Tomography Thickness Map Overlays for Enhanced Visualization in Epiretinal...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Epiretinal membrane peeling (MP) demands precise intraoperative visualization for optimal surgical results.
• Current visualization methods may limit detailed structural identification during surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the real-time integration of preoperative Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images into surgical video feeds during MP.
• To enhance intraoperative visualization and surgical decision-making through dynamic OCT overlays.

Main Methods:

• Preoperative OCT images were manually aligned with initial surgical video frames.
• Homography transformation was used for initial overlay.
• Shi-Tomasi feature detection and Lucas-Kanade optical flow computed frame-by-frame transformations for real-time alignment.

Main Results:

• The system achieved a 92.7% success rate in optical flow detection.
• An average processing speed of 7.56 frames per second (FPS) demonstrated near real-time feasibility.
• Successful dynamic overlay of OCT images onto surgical video was maintained.

Conclusions:

• The developed approach enhances intraoperative visualization for easier retinal structure identification during MP.
• This technique supports more data-driven surgical decisions, potentially reducing complications and improving patient outcomes.
• Real-time OCT integration shows promise for robot-assisted surgery, training, and broader vitreoretinal procedures.