2D Map Displays to Support Neurosurgical Interventions

For the planning of complex surgical interventions, 3D models of relevant anatomical and pathological structures are used. Primarily, these models were developed for preoperative surgery planning. Due to the often very high geometric complexity and the associated interpretation and interaction effort for the viewer, the potential of 3D models during surgical interventions can only be exploited in a limited way.

During a 12-month research stay at the Surgical Planning Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, this problem shall be analyzed in more detail for neurosurgical interventions. Therefore, a new method for 2D map display for navigational support during neurosurgical interventions shall be designed, developed, and evaluated. Algorithms that provide classified, weighted neurosurgical data for a 2D map display shall be explored. Based on these algorithms, a prototype for the visualization of relevant neurosurgical data in the form of a 2D map display shall be created.