They develop a program with virtual reality glasses to support lumbar spine surgery

VALENCIA, Apr. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) -

Research staff from the Mixed Biomedical Imaging Unit of the Fisabio Foundation and the Príncipe Felipe Research Center (CIPF), led by the researcher María de la Iglesia, have developed a prototype that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine and virtual reality glasses to assist in lumbar spine surgeries.

The prototype is being developed with the Hololens device (holographic device) that simulates a 3D model of the patient's spine in the same position as the real spine. With this, surgeons will be able to see the entire anatomy of the lumbar spine prior to surgical intervention.

The model, which is being developed by the researcher at the Fisabio-CIPF Mixed Biomedical Imaging Unit Kate Kardash, simulates the spine in a virtual way, with realistic movements and in different positions, where the different points that will be intervened during the procedure can be marked. surgery.

The spinal models generated with the program have been created through magnetic resonance imaging, where the spine has been previously segmented --using Artificial Intelligence-- with more than eleven identified structures of the lumbar spine. All these images have been extracted from the MIDAS (Massive Image Data Anatomy Spine) project.

The researcher from the Fisabio-CIPF Mixed Biomedical Imaging Unit and the University of Navarra Clinic, Julio Domenech, has stated that "unlike reconstructions based on computed tomography (CT), which only allow bone reconstruction, lumbar MRI images give very good resolution to identify other structures such as nerves, spinal cord, discs, muscle and ligaments in the reconstructed 3D image."

On the other hand, the research staff will continue to improve the tool to create a connection of multiple glasses that can be used by different specialists of the medical team.

For her part, María de la Iglesia, principal investigator of the Fisabio-CIPF Mixed Biomedical Imaging Unit, explained that "the program is still in the prototype phase, since all its features have been tested with virtual models, but not in real samples.

In addition, its future development could be applied not only in spinal surgeries, but in any part of the body or tissues that could help healthcare personnel in the diagnosis and treatment of certain injuries in clinical practice."

"The model has two applications that can be transferred to clinical use in patients. On the one hand, it makes it easier for the surgeon to plan the surgery in advance, and on the other, it can be used intraoperatively, which will make it possible to more accurately identify anatomical structures, so that increases the precision of surgical gestures and access to structures not visible with the ordinary technique", added Julio Domenech.