Automatic Kidney Image Segmentation During Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy Using a Deep Learning Model Based on a...

Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising tool to enhance surgical precision during robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN), particularly by enabling the intraoperative overlay of 3D anatomical models. However, real-time AR implementation requires robust image segmentation of anatomical structures, such as the kidney, which remains technically challenging in dynamic laparoscopic environments.

This study aimed to develop and validate a large, annotated image dataset to train deep learning models for automated segmentation of the renal parenchyma during RAPN, as a prerequisite for real-time AR guidance.

We conducted a single-center, observational image annotation study using prospectively collected surgical videos from 131 RAPN procedures performed between 2022 and 2024. Patients had localized renal tumors, with 11 presenting with multifocal disease (160 tumors in total). A total of 48,000 frames were extracted based on image sharpness, diversity, and the exclusion of artifacts. A subset of 454 images was annotated by 9 contributors (surgeons, engineers, and nonexperts) after structured training. Interannotator agreement was assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and sensitivity against an expert reference. A convolutional neural network (AlbuNet-34) was trained using 12,546 annotated images and evaluated on a validation set of 3137 images. Model performance was analyzed overall and across surgical phases.

Annotators achieved high agreement, with median DSC values ranging from 0.91 to 0.95 and sensitivity consistently more than 0.89. The deep learning model achieved a mean DSC of 0.75 (SD 0.23) and a sensitivity of 0.71 (SD 0.24) on the validation set. Segmentation accuracy varied significantly across surgical phases, with lower performance observed during tumor resection and tumor bed reconstruction due to increased visual complexity.

This study demonstrates the feasibility of automated renal parenchyma segmentation using deep learning in real-world intraoperative settings. Although current performance remains below that of expert-level annotations, the creation of a large, annotated dataset and the implementation of a structured multiannotator workflow represent key milestones toward reliable AR-assisted surgery. Ongoing refinements in annotation quality, dataset diversity, and neural network optimization are expected to enhance future real-time AR applications in urology.