Augmented reality system training for minimally invasive spine surgery

Abstract

The minimally invasive spine surgery has been popular in recent years as it reduces the chances of complications during intraoperation and postoperation. However, the procedure of pedicle screw insertion is complicated and has a steep learning curve during this surgery. A minimally invasive spine system training is developed with real force feedback and an assessment of performance as a training tool for a common spine minimally invasive procedure-pedicle screw insertion, helping to minimize possible risks and expenses due to the learning curve of trainees. The minimally invasive spine system training based on augmented reality consists of a physical and a virtual components. A physical model of the spine is created with a three-dimensional printer using specific patient data. The virtual one is created with the computed tomography scan of the physical spine model attached with four markers displaying on a screen of computer called the virtual three-dimensional space. Two IR cameras are used to track the movement of the training instrument in the real-world space. The position of the training instrument in virtual three-dimensional space can be obtained by the space registration algorithm according to the position of the training instrument in the real-world space. Using the aforementioned techniques, we have developed the minimally invasive spine system training providing the trainee with real force feedback in real time and creating a standardized scoring system that compares a trainee's performance to that of an expert. The design and implementation of the minimally invasive spine system training are presented.