Article Text
Abstract
Rotational angiography data is typically viewed using traditional flat screens. Augmented Reality (AR) technologies offer three-dimensional interactive visualisations that can be spatially anchored anywhere in the operating room. The clinician can interact and intuitively explore patient data intraoperatively while remaining sterile.
We developed a novel platform to load and visualise vascular data in the operating room using AR headsets. The platform supports importing standard DICOM datasets and NIfTI file formats, with tools for 2D visualisation and fast 3D mesh generation. A GPU-based marching cubes implementation allows for real-time mesh updates. Subsequent connected components labelling enables easy mesh filtering when processing noisy imaging data.
If the network setup allows it the desktop and AR apps can automatically discover each other and establish a network connection. The platform supports bidirectional data streaming for (1) transferring mesh data to headsets and (2) sending headset position, orientation and hand-tracking data to the desktop app. Tracking data can be visualised in the desktop app and used to synchronise a virtual point-of-view, facilitating enhanced collaboration and communication among the clinical team (figure 1).
The clinician can interact with data via optical hand tracking while remaining sterile. This allows the user to naturally grab the data using one or two hands, and move, rotate or scale the data to place it in a convenient position in the OR. Several different interaction tools are implemented, (1) cropping the data using a resizable box, allowing the user to focus on a region of interest, (2) measuring distances to evaluate vessel diameter or aneurism dimensions, and (3) visualisation of C-Arm rotation and angulation corresponding to the user’s current viewpoint. This can help clinicians assess the optimal C-Arm projection. These interactive tools significantly augment the clinician’s ability to manipulate and interpret the imaging data dynamically during interventional procedures.
Our platform demonstrates a clinical use case for AR technology in improving intraoperative data visualisation and interaction possibilities, to support efficient understanding of patient vascular pathology.
Disclosures M. Petersen: None.