A low-cost multimodal head-mounted display system for neuroendoscopic surgery.

Background: With rapid advances in technology, wearable devices as head-mounted display (HMD) have been adopted for various uses in medical science, ranging from simply aiding in fitness to assisting surgery. We aimed to investigate the feasibility and practicability of a low-cost multimodal HMD system in neuroendoscopic surgery. Methods: A multimodal HMD system, mainly consisted of a HMD with two built-in displays, an action camera, and a laptop computer displaying reconstructed medical images, was developed to assist neuroendoscopic surgery. With this intensively integrated system, the neurosurgeon could freely switch between endoscopic image, three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed virtual endoscopy images, and surrounding environment images. Using a leap motion controller, the neurosurgeon could adjust or rotate the 3D virtual endoscopic images at a distance to better understand the positional relation between lesions and normal tissues at will. Results: A total of 21 consecutive patients with ventricular system diseases underwent neuroendoscopic surgery with the aid of this system. All operations were accomplished successfully, and no system-related complications occurred. The HMD was comfortable to wear and easy to operate. Screen resolution of the HMD was high enough for the neurosurgeon to operate carefully. With the system, the neurosurgeon might get a better comprehension on lesions by freely switching among images of different modalities. The system had a steep learning curve, which meant a quick increment of skill with it. Compared with commercially available surgical assistant instruments, this system was relatively low-cost. Conclusions: The multimodal HMD system is feasible, practical, helpful, and relatively cost efficient in neuroendoscopic surgery.

Low-Cost Interactive Image-Based Virtual Endoscopy for the Diagnosis and Surgical Planning of Suprasellar Arachnoid Cysts.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and reliability of virtual endoscopy (VE) as a rapid, low-cost, and interactive tool for the diagnosis and surgical planning of suprasellar arachnoid cysts (SACs). METHODS: Eighteen patients with SACs treated with endoscopic ventriculocystostomy were recruited, and 18 endoscopic patients treated with third ventriculostomy were randomly selected as a VE reconstruction control group. After loading their DICOM data into free 3D Slicer software, VE reconstruction was independently performed by 3 blinded clinicians and the time required for each reconstruction was recorded. Another 3 blinded senior neurosurgeons interactively graded the visibility of VE by watching video recordings of the endoscopic procedures. Based on the visibility scores, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to investigate the reliability of VE to diagnose SACs, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess the reliability of VE for surgical planning. In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to estimate the consistency among the results of 3 reconstruction performers. RESULTS: All 3 independent reconstructing performers successfully completed VE simulation for all cases, and the average reconstruction time was 10.2 ± 9.7 minutes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the cyst visibility score was 0.96, implying its diagnostic value for SACs. The Bland-Altman plot indicated good agreement between VE and intraoperative viewings, suggesting the anatomic accuracy of the VE for surgical planning. In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.81, which revealed excellent interperformer consistency of our simulation method. CONCLUSIONS: This study substantiated the feasibility and reliability of VE as a rapid, low-cost, and interactive modality for diagnosis and surgical planning of SACs.

Quantitative assessment of hemodynamic changes during spinal dural arteriovenous fistula surgery.

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of FLOW 800 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Thuringia, Germany) with indocyanine green (ICG) videoangiography for the quantitative assessment of flow dynamics in spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) surgeries. We prospectively enrolled nine patients with spinal dAVF diagnosed within the past year and performed FLOW 800 analyses using ICG videoangiography before and after surgical obliteration of the fistula. A color-coded map was semi-automatically generated by FLOW 800 and used for high-resolution visualization of the vasculature and instant interpretation of the dynamic flow changes. The FLOW 800-specific hemodynamic parameters were employed for real-time measurements of parenchymal perfusion alterations. Overall, 18 intraoperative FLOW 800 analyses using ICG videoangiography were performed in nine patients. The color-coded map aided the detection and complete obliteration of the fistulas in all patients and the results were verified by postoperative spinal digital subtraction angiography. The transit time parameter was significantly shorter in the preobliteration phase than in the postobliteration phase (p < 0.01), the rise time parameter exhibited the same pattern (p = 0.08) and maximum intensity and blood flow index were not significantly different between these phases. FLOW 800 with ICG videoangiography provided an intuitive and objective understanding of blood flow dynamics intraoperatively and enabled easy and confident identification and treatment of this pathology. The FLOW 800-specific hemodynamic analyses provided additional perfusion information that enabled real-time measurements of parenchymal perfusion alterations. FLOW 800 with ICG videoangiography is useful for intraoperative quantitative assessment of flow dynamics, facilitating safety and confidence in the treatment of spinal dAVF.

Comparison of the Tada formula with software slicer: precise and low-cost method for volume assessment of intracerebral hematoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Tada (ABC/2) formula has been used widely for volume assessment of intracerebral hematoma. However, the formula is crude for irregularly shaped hematoma. We aimed to compare the accuracy of the ABC/2 formula with open source software Slicer. METHODS: Computed tomographic images of 294 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hematoma were collected. Hematoma volumes were assessed with the ABC/2 formula and calculated with software 3D Slicer. Results of these 2 methods were compared with regard to hematoma size and shape. RESULTS: The estimated hematoma volume was 58.41±37.83 cm(3) using the ABC/2 formula, compared with 50.38±31.93 cm(3) with 3D Slicer (mean percentage deviation, 16.38±9.15%). When allocate patients into groups according to hematoma size, the mean estimation error were 3.24 cm(3) (17.72%), 5.85 cm(3) (13.72%), and 15.14 cm(3) (17.48%) for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. When divided by shape, estimation error was 3.33 cm(3) (9.76%), 7.19 cm(3) (18.37%), and 29.39 cm(3) (39.12%) for regular, irregular, and multilobular hematomas. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant estimation error using the ABC/2 formula to calculate hematoma volume. Compared with hematoma size, estimation error is more significantly associated with hematoma shape.

Assessment of the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and glioma susceptibility.

The Arg399Gln polymorphism, located in the region of the BRCT-I interaction domain of XRCC1, has been extensively explored in its function and association with glioma risk. However, these studies generated contradictory instead of conclusive results. A meta-analysis was performed to derive a more precise evaluation of the relationship between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and glioma risk. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science and extracted 12 eligible studies with 4,062 glioma cases and 5,302 glioma-free controls for this meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association. In the overall analysis, we found that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was statistically associated with the risk of glioma (OR(GG vs. AG + AA) = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.84-0.97, P(heterogeneity) = 0.020; OR(allele G vs. allele A )= 0.96, 95% CI = 0.91-1.00, P(heterogeneity) = 0.110). We also observed significant association between this polymorphism and glioma risk in Asian populations. The results of the meta-analysis suggest a potential decreased susceptibility to glioma in association with the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism, especially in Asians. Yet, it is necessary to conduct future prospective explorations to gain a better insight into the impact of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism on glioma risk.