Abstract
BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy is widely used in pancreatic surgeries nowadays. The efficient and correct judgment of the location of the anatomical structures is crucial for a safe laparoscopic pancreatic surgery. The technologies of 3-dimensional(3D) virtual model and image fusion are widely used for preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation in the medical field, but not in laparoscopic pancreatic surgery up to now. We aimed to develop an intraoperative navigation system with an accurate multi-modality fusion of 3D virtual model and laparoscopic real-time images for laparoscopic pancreatic surgery. METHODS: The software for the navigation system was developed ad hoc. The preclinical study included tests with the laparoscopic simulator and pilot cases. The 3D virtual models were built using preoperative Computed Tomography (CT) Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data. Manual and automatic real-time image fusions were tested. The practicality of the navigation system was evaluated by the operators using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) method. RESULTS: The 3D virtual models were successfully built using the navigation system. The 3D model was correctly fused with the real-time laparoscopic images both manually and automatically optical orientation in the preclinical tests. The statistical comparative tests showed no statistically significant differences between the scores of the rigid model and those of the phantom model(P > 0.05). There was statistically significant difference between the total scores of automatic fusion function and those of manual fusion function (P = 0.026). In pilot cases, the 3D model was correctly fused with the real-time laparoscopic images manually. The Intraoperative navigation system was easy to use. The automatic fusion function brought more convenience to the user. CONCLUSIONS: The intraoperative navigation system applied in laparoscopic pancreatic surgery clearly and correctly showed the covered anatomical structures. It has the potentiality of helping achieve a more safe and efficient laparoscopic pancreatic surgery.