Use of Mixed Reality in Neurosurgery Training: A Single Centre Experience

Construction of a Multimodal 3D Atlas for a Micrometer-Scale Brain-Computer Interface Based on Mixed Reality

OBJECTIVE

To develop a multimodal imaging atlas of a rat brain-computer interface (BCI) that incorporates brain, arterial, bone tissue and a BCI device using mixed reality (MR) for three-dimensional (3D) visualization.

METHODS

An invasive BCI was implanted in the left visual cortex of 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Multimodal imaging techniques, including micro-CT and 9.0 T MRI, were used to acquire images of the rat cranial bone structure, vascular distribution, brain tissue functional zones, and BCI device before and after implantation. Using 3D-slicer software, the images were fused through spatial transformations, followed by image segmentation and 3D model reconstruction. The HoloLens platform was employed for MR visualization.

RESULTS

This study constructed a multimodal imaging atlas for rats that included the skull, brain tissue, arterial tissue, and BCI device coupled with MR technology to create an interactive 3D anatomical model.

CONCLUSIONS

This multimodal 3D atlas provides an objective and stable reference for exploring complex relationships between brain tissue structure and function, enhancing the understanding of the operational principles of BCIs. This is the first multimodal 3D imaging atlas related to a BCI created using Sprague-Dawley rats.

Feasibility of Augmented Reality for Pediatric Giant Supratentorial Tumors: A Report of Three Cases

Giant supratentorial brain tumors (GSBTs) in children are uncommon and extremely challenging entities unique to pediatric neurosurgery. Factors such as young patient age, need for urgent intervention, intraoperative blood loss, and ongoing raised intracranial pressure symptoms are examples of difficulties faced. Recently, there has been a growing body of literature on augmented reality (AR) in adult neurosurgery. In contrast, the use of AR in pediatric neurosurgery is comparatively less. Nonetheless, we postulate that AR systems will be helpful for understanding spatial relationships of complex GSBT anatomy for preoperative planning in a timely fashion. This study describes our experience in trialing AR as a potential tool for three cases of pediatric GSBTs. Overall, the AR platform offers our neurosurgical team excellent visuospatial insights for preoperative decision-making. However, we observe that substantial time is required to set up the AR system prior to each clinical case discussion by the neurosurgical team. In congruency with existing literature, our preliminary results report that there are still obstacles that need to be addressed before the technology can be seamlessly implemented into the clinical workflow for these time-sensitive childhood brain tumors. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the potential use of AR for complex pediatric GSBT cases.