European Radiology Experimental recently published a study on a new augmented reality system called Endosight, which can guide procedures in interventional oncology. A three-step experiment shows this system to be precise and reliable enough to facilitate image guidance critical to the success of oncological surgery, the company says.
Using a back-facing camera and a tablet PC to visualise the patient, the system projects 3D images of body structures such as organs, lesions and vessels onto the video image of the patient. The projections are extracted from pre-operative CT and/or MRI scans and shift angle depending on the direction of the tablet’s camera.
The experiment found that extremely high targeting accuracy (below 5 mm) was achieved. The company says that the benefit of guiding procedures with AR is that the need for extra imaging and, therefore, exposure to ionising radiation, is avoided. R.A.W., the Italy-based company behind the Endosight system, employs five of the eight authors of the study.
The full report can be found here.
