Augmented Microscope System for Training and Intra-Operative purposes

In recent years, neurosurgery has been deeply influenced by new technologies. Computer Aided Surgery (CAS) offers several benefits for patients’ safety but fine techniques targeted to obtain minimally invasive and traumatic treatments are required, since intra-operative false movements can be devastating, leaving patients dead. The precision of the surgical gesture is related both to accuracy of the available technological instruments and surgeon’s experience. In this frame, medical training is particularly important. From a technological point of view the use of the Virtual Reality (VR) for the surgeons training and Augmented Reality (AR) for the intra-operative aid for treatments offer the best results. This paper presents a prototype for a mixed reality system for neurosurgical interventions embedded on a real surgical microscope for preand intraoperative purposes. Its main purposes are:  realistic simulation (visual and haptic) of the spatula palpation of Low-Grade Glioma (LGG);  stereoscopic visualization in AR of relevant 3D data for safe surgical movements in the image guided therapy (IGT) interventions. This is the first prototype of a training system using a real microscope for neurosurgery.

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