Mixed Reality Needle Guidance Application on Smartglasses Without Pre-procedural CT Image Import with Manually Matching Coordinate Systems

Out-of-Plane Needle Placements Using 3D Augmented Reality Protractor on Smartphone: An Experimental Phantom Study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the accuracy of needle placement using a three-dimensional (3D) augmented reality (AR) protractor on smartphones (AR Puncture).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An AR protractor that can be rotated in three directions against the CT plane with angle guidance lines for smartphones was developed. The protractor center can be adjusted to an entry point by manually moving the smartphone with the protractor center fixed at the center of the screen (Fix-On-Screen) or by image tracking with a printed QR code placed at an entry point (QR-Tracking). Needle placement was performed by viewing a target line in the tangent direction with the Bull's eye method. The needle placement errors placed by four operators in six out-of-plane directions in a phantom using a smartphone (iPhone XR, Apple, Cupertino, CA, USA) were compared with two registration methods.

RESULTS

No significant difference in the average needle placement error was observed between the Fix-On-Screen and QR-Tracking methods (5.6 ± 1.7 mm vs. 6.1 ± 2.9 mm, p = 0.475). The average procedural time of the Fix-On-Screen method was shorter than that of the QR-Tracking method (71.0 ± 23.9 s vs. 98.4 ± 59.5 s, p = 0.042).

CONCLUSION

The accuracies of out-of-plane needle placements using the 3D AR protractor with the two registration methods were equally high, with short procedure times. In clinical use, the Fix-On-Screen registration method would be more convenient because no additional markers are required.

A Systematic Study to Compare the Precise Implantation of Hololens 2 Assisted with Acetabular Prosthesis for Total Hip Replacement

This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the precise implantation of Hololens 2 assisted with acetabular prosthesis for total hip replacement. A total of 80 orthopaedic doctors from our hospital are enrolled in this systematic study and these doctors are divided into following four groups based on the experience of doctors treatment for orthopaedic patients and the Hololens 2 assisted:Rich experienced group with Hololens 2, rich experienced group without Hololens 2, inexperienced group with Hololens 2, inexperienced group without Hololens 2. The abduction angle, the anteversion angle, the offset degree in the abduction angle, the offset degree in the anteversion angle in four groups are presented and these result are used to evaluate the accuracy of precise implantation of Hololens 2 assisted with acetabular prosthesis for total hip replacement. Finally, all date in this study is collected and analyzed. The total of 80 physicians are included in this study. The results show that the outcomes between rich experienced group with Hololens 2 and rich experienced group without Hololens 2 are significant difference, and the outcomes between inexperienced group with Hololens 2 and inexperienced group without Hololens 2 are significant difference. The result between any other two groups is no significant difference. Hololens 2 assisted with acetabular prosthesis for total hip replacement can improve the accuracy.

Microsoft HoloLens 2 in Medical and Healthcare Context: State of the Art and Future Prospects

In the world reference context, although virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality have been emerging methodologies for several years, only today technological and scientific advances have made them suitable to revolutionize clinical care and medical contexts through the provision of enhanced functionalities and improved health services. This systematic review provides the state-of-the-art applications of the Microsoft^® HoloLens 2 in a medical and healthcare context. Focusing on the potential that this technology has in providing digitally supported clinical care, also but not only in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, studies that proved the applicability and feasibility of HoloLens 2 in a medical and healthcare scenario were considered. The review presents a thorough examination of the different studies conducted since 2019, focusing on HoloLens 2 medical sub-field applications, device functionalities provided to users, software/platform/framework used, as well as the study validation. The results provided in this paper could highlight the potential and limitations of the HoloLens 2-based innovative solutions and bring focus to emerging research topics, such as telemedicine, remote control and motor rehabilitation.