Augmented Reality Application for Aiding Tumor Resection in Skull-Base Surgery

Treatment of cancer patients has improved with advances in tumor resection techniques for skull-base surgery. However, a secondary procedure or chemotherapy is often required to treat residual tumor to prevent recurrence. With the advent of assistive technology, such as augmented reality, a myriad of possibilities have been facilitated for the field of surgery. This work explores the development of an augmented reality application to improving the tumor margin excised during surgical procedures, with a focus on skull-base surgery. An isosurface reconstruction algorithm was integrated with the Microsoft HoloLens, a self-contained holographic computer, to enable visualization of Computed Tomography (CT) imaging superimposed in 3D on the patient. The results suggest that though the device has limitations at its current stage, the Microsoft HoloLens could be used for planning and overlaying the imaging information on the patient for removal of lesions in real-time. The modules developed could also be extended to other types of surgery involving visualization of Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) files.