Diagnosis, planning move to
real-time
Head-mounted displays put images in the
OR
By Kathy
Kincade
Improved visualization methods are making it possible for surgeons to view
preoperative patient data during surgery. Radiological images that are stored
and processed digitally can be retrieved for review in the operating room,
although all data must be optimally processed and remain available for the
duration of the operation.
Head-mounted displays provide a low-cost solution for visualizing digital
data, including radiological images, in the operating room. Affixing an HMD to
the surgeon's head offers the advantage of continuous, uninterrupted work and
simultaneous visualization of the data at any time. [Fig.
1]
Two types of HMD exist for use in radiology and surgery: closed-view and
see-through. Standard closed-view HMDs do not allow a direct view of the real
world and can be used only as monitoring tools. See-through HMDs let the user
see the real world with virtual objects superimposed by optical or video
technologies.
Optical see-through HMDs rely on optical combiners placed in front of the
user's eyes. Because these combiners are partially transmissive and partially
reflective, the user can look at both the real world and the computed data.
Alternatively, video see-through HMDs combine a closed-view HMD with one or two
head-mounted video cameras that provide users with a view of the real world.
Footage from these cameras is combined with the radiological images, blending
the real and the virtual.
The see-through method is likely to be used increasingly to superimpose
medical data on patients during surgery. Image-based data must be saved and
processed digitally for direct transfer to an HMD for optimized
demonstration.
By 2015, this technology will have a place in radiology as well.
Technologists predict that the lightbox of the future may very well be a retinal
scanning device with virtual displays of images projected directly onto the
retina.
