The Use of Augmented Reality for Navigation in Minimally Invasive Abdominal and Thoracic Soft-Tissue Surgery: A...

Area of Science:

• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Surgical Navigation
• Augmented Reality (AR)

Background:

• Surgical navigation and AR are established in neurosurgery, spine, and orthopedic procedures.
• Their application in abdominal/thoracic soft-tissue surgery is limited due to challenges in tracking mobile organs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on AR applications in minimally invasive abdominal and thoracic soft-tissue surgery from 2014-2024.
• To identify target organs, AR technologies, accuracy, usability, clinical benefits, and limitations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines, registered in PROSPERO (2024).
• Searches conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for English-language studies.
• Analysis of 28 studies meeting inclusion criteria out of 1297 records.

Main Results:

• Liver surgery was the most common focus (42%); gynecologic surgery was absent.
• AR devices exhibited diverse tracking, processing, visualization, and display methods.
• AR demonstrated improvements in anatomical guidance and procedural planning, particularly for complex cases.

Conclusions:

• AR offers potential to enhance intraoperative navigation in soft-tissue surgery.
• Integration with robotic systems could improve visualization and precision, but standardization and validation are needed.