A Novel Technique of Mixed Reality Systems in the Treatment of Spinal Cord Tumors

Several reports have compared spinal cord tumor removal techniques but none have clearly described the appropriate site and level of indication for laminectomy or laminoplasty. The approach method for tumor removal depends on the type and localization of the tumor and the surgeon's skill. Therefore, a system that can suggest various surgical techniques is useful for spinal cord tumor surgery. The mixed reality system introduced in this paper is an excellent system that can suggest various surgical procedures. Using this system for spinal cord tumor removal, we made the surgery less invasive; therefore, we introduced this system and demonstrated its usefulness. Stereoscopic data of the patients with spinal cord tumors were obtained from preoperative myelogram-CT data. Stereoscopic laminectomy models including tumors were created using Blender, a free three-dimensional (3D) image editing software. We observed these data as 3D object images using a head-mounted display (HMD). This HMD is commercially available and relatively inexpensive. The surgical procedure is determined by considering those 3D images, radiological diagnosis, and the skill of surgeons. Intraoperative confirmation of the laminectomy site could be performed using the HMD. The 3D visualization of pathological conditions resulted in correct preoperative surgical planning and less invasive surgery in all five cases. Stereoscopic images using HMDs allow us a more intuitive understanding of the positional relationship between the tumor and spinal structure. These 3D object images can bring us more accurate preoperative planning and proper determination of surgical methods.