LOCALITE - A frameless neuronavigation system for interventional magnetic resonance imaging systems

Abstract

LOCALITE is a frameless neuronavigation system that particularly addresses a problem with current interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) systems: non-interactive response time in the interactive scan mode and poor image quality with fast scanning sequences. LOCALITE calculates image planes selected via a handheld localizer from pre- or intra-operative volume data sets. This approach provides a really interactive localizer device with high quality images. The volume data are generated after the patient has been brought into the operating room and fixed within the iMRI. Images are part of an enhanced reality scenario containing only the salient visual information for the intra-operative task rather than letting the surgeon drown in lots of images. First studies show that LOCALITE enables the surgeon to use the iMRI system intuitively and much faster.