A head-mounted display system for augmented reality image guidance: Towards clinical evaluation for iMRI-guided neurosurgery

Abstract

We developed an augmented reality system targeting image guidance for surgical procedures. The surgeon wears a video-see-through head mounted display that provides him with a stereo video view of the patient. The live video images are augmented with graphical representations of anatomical structures that are segmented from medical image data. The surgeon can see e.g. a tumor in its actual location inside the patient. This in-situ visualization, where the computer maps the image information onto the patient, promises the most direct, intuitive guidance for surgical procedures. In this paper, we discuss technical details of the system and describe a first pre-clinical evaluation. This first evaluation is very positive and encourages us to get our system ready for installation in UCLA’s iMRI operating room to perform clinical trials.