title: Virtual reality-enhanced ultrasound guidance for atrial ablation: in vitro epicardial study.
abstract: In an effort to reduce morbidity of cardiac interventions, minimizing invasiveness inevitably leads to limited visual access to the surgical targets. To address these limitations, we provide the surgeons with a robust visualization environment that integrates interventional ultrasound imaging augmented with pre-operative anatomical models and virtual surgical instruments within a virtual reality environment. Here we present an in vitro study on a cardiac phantom that mimics an ablation therapy procedure, which allows us to assess the feasibility of our surgical system in comparison to traditional intra-operative ultrasound imaging. Following surgical target identification via an electro-anatomical model, the "ablation procedure" is performed blindly. A 2.8 mm RMS targeting error is achieved using our novel surgical system. This level of accuracy is adequate from both a clinical and engineering perspective, under the inherent procedure requirements and limitations of the system.
authors.affiliation: Imaging Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Cristian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Linte
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiles
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wedlake
authors.forename: Terry M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface