A small tracker is attached to the microscope in order to detect the position of the patient. This allows superimposing information into the surgeon's view in the microscope (e.g. the location of the surgical target inside the patient's head).

Image-guided surgical microscope

Surgical microscopes are used in many complex procedures in neurosurgery and otorhinolaryngology. The goal of this project is the integration of navigation and image-guidance into surgical microscopy. Image guidance is provided to the surgeon by displaying objects and information as overlays on the optical images of the microscope. These visuals can consist of pathways and target positions that have been previously outlined on pre-operative images such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance.

We have implemented a new image guidance design for a surgical microscope. It includes a small and precise mini-tracker (developed at EPFL) that is directly mounted to the microscope. This approach offers two principal advantages. First, good accuracy is achieved without the need for external tracking. Second, the ergonomics are improved by removing the line-of-sight problem between stand-alone tracking cameras, the microscope, and the patient.

Initial experiments for the calibration of the microscope and the generation of the overlays have been completed. Additional experiments including laboratory and clinical trials are expected to be performed early next year.