Augmented Reality for Identification of Temporal Bone Anatomy and Comparison to Conventional Imaging

To design and validate an augmented reality application for identification of temporal bone anatomy.

The anatomy of the temporal bone is highly complex and can present challenges for operative planning and for education of both patients and medical trainees.

An augmented reality application for visualization and identification of temporal bone anatomy in 3D was developed using Slicer, OpenGL, and Angle libraries on the Augmented Reality on Microsoft HoloLens (AR-MH). A total of 14 physicians, including 7 otolaryngologists (4 trainees and 3 attendings) and 7 radiologists (4 trainees and 3 attendings), participated in this study to visualize temporal bone structures using 2D CT imaging, 3D CT model visualization on a monitor, and AR-MH. Quantitative metrics to compare the users' performance between modalities included time taken to identify structures, accuracy of identification, and the NASA Task Load Index.

The rendering rate for individual models was 60 fps, excluding the temporal bone model. The mean time for participants to identify 16 structures was 3:04 minutes on 2D, 2:02 minutes on 3D, and 2:09 minutes on AR-MH. The adjusted accuracy of identifying structures was 89.0% on 2D, 93.2% on 3D, and 91.6% on AR-MH. Mean NASA-TLX values showed no significant difference in workload metrics between modalities. Visualization of anatomy in 3D (either on a monitor or via AR-MH) resulted in greater speed and accuracy of anatomy identification for trainees but not attendings.

Augmented reality provides a means of intuitively visualizing temporal bone anatomy which may function as an effective tool for surgical planning and education, particularly for novices.