Augmented Reality and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) is the process of superimposing live images with synthetic computer-generated images. AR can serve the surgeon during an operation to highlight anatomical details as a navigation tool. AR may be obtained from preoperative images or in real-time in the operating room. The process to obtain AR includes different phases: (1) generation of a virtual patient-specific model; (2) visualization of the model in the operative field; (3) registration, which corresponds to an accurate overlaying of the 3D model onto the real patient’s operative images. In this editorial, we provide a brief overview of the different available technologies and approaches for AR in MIS and we describe the challenges to obtain accurate, flexible and patient-specific real-time anatomical reconstruction.