Augmented Reality Implementation in Minimally Invasive Surgery for Future Application in Pulmonary Surgery: A Systematic Review
Surgical Innovation, vol. 31, pp. 646–658
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This systematic review investigates of Augmented Reality (AR) systems used in minimally invasive surgery of deformable organs, focusing on initial registration, dynamic tracking, and visualization. The objective is to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the current knowledge, applications, and challenges associated with current AR-techniques, aiming to leverage these insights for developing a dedicated AR pulmonary Video or Robotic Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS/RATS) workflow. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted within Embase, Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science on April 16, 2024, following the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The search focused on intraoperative AR applications and intraoperative navigational purposes for deformable organs. Quality assessment was performed and studies were categorized according to initial registration and dynamic tracking methods. RESULTS: 33 articles were included, of which one involved pulmonary surgery. Studies used both manual and (semi-) automatic registration methods, established through anatomical landmark-based, fiducial-based, or surface-based techniques. Diverse outcome measures were considered, including surgical outcomes and registration accuracy. The majority of studies that reached an registration accuracy below 5 mm applied surface-based registration. CONCLUSIONS: AR can potentially aid surgeons with real-time navigation and decision making during anatomically complex minimally invasive procedures. Future research for pulmonary applications should focus on exploring surface-based registration methods, considering their non-invasive, marker-less nature, and promising accuracy. Additionally, vascular-labeling-based methods are worth exploring, given the importance and relative stability of broncho-vascular anatomy in pulmonary VATS/RATS. Assessing clinical feasibility of these approaches is crucial, particularly concerning registration accuracy and potential impact on surgical outcomes.
Authors 9
-
Leiden University Medical Center · Erasmus MC · Delft University of Technology
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Educational Program Technical Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Delft University of Technology & Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Leiden, The Netherlands
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
-
University Medical Center Utrecht
Affiliation as printed
Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
-
Affiliation as printed
ORSI Academy, Melle, Belgium
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
-
Leiden University Medical Center · Erasmus MC
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
-
Amir H. Sadeghi corresponding
Erasmus MC · University Medical Center Utrecht
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
-
Affiliation as printed
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Cited by 25 stored of 25
No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).