Interaction-based registration correction for improved augmented reality overlay in neurosurgery

Abstract

In image-guided neurosurgery the patient is registered with the reference of a tracking system and preoperative data before sterile draping. Due to several factors extensively reported in the literature, the accuracy of this registration can be much deteriorated after the initial phases of the surgery. In this paper, we present a simple method that allows the surgeon to correct the initial registration by tracing corresponding features in the real and virtual parts of an augmented reality view of the surgical field using a tracked pointer. Results of a preliminary study on a phantom yielded a target registration error of 4.06 ± 0.91 mm, which is comparable to results for initial landmark registration reported in the literature.