Adaptation of personal projection television to a head-mounted display for intra-operative viewing of neuroimaging

We describe an adaptation of a personal projection television for intra-operative viewing of conventional neuroimaging and frameless stereotaxy displays. In addition to image display, the device provides surgical magnification and eye protection from body fluids. Image data is first processed by a scan converter to provide a National Standards Television Committee (NTSC) television signal. The adjustable optics of the system display are permanently secured to avoid displacement during surgery. A virtual image of the data is projected to an apparent size of four feet in the inferior visual field of the surgeon's dominant eye. Magnification is provided by the surgical telescopes mounted in the visor. Resolution of the device is consistent with that obtained in a slice of computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data. Optimal display of multiplanar data awaits improvement in density of the light emitting diode device used for image generation. J Image Guid Surg 1:109–112 (1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.