Mixed Reality for Breast Cancer Surgery with Image Guidance
Introduction
One of the most common diseases impacting women globally is breast cancer. As per the WHO statistics number of breast cancer cases across the globe has crossed more than 2.26 million, surpassing lung cancer. Surgical intervention remains crucial for effective breast cancer treatment. However, with progress in medical technology, MR-image guidance integration has transformed breast cancer surgery, improving precision and patient outcomes. Let us know more about it in the below article.
What is MR and what are its advantages in breast cancer surgery?
Mixed reality (MR) is an advanced technology that integrates VR and AR on a medical platform for an interactive planning & execution of breast cancer surgery. In simple words, it is a surgical simulation where the MR provides real-time guidance. It superimposes digital data onto the surgeon’s field of view, allowing surgeons to perform in precision and make better decisions throughout the surgery. Amini and Kersten-Oertel developed an MR system using Microsoft Holo Lens to accurately identify tumor location during breast MRI scans.
Surgeons can view patient-specific medical imaging, like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans in 3D with the help of MR. For doctors it becomes easy to understand the patient’s anatomy and locate the tumor, which is very helpful in preoperative planning. The surgical simulation of breast treatment on a holographic model helps surgeons to identify the potential challenges and plan their surgery better.
Further, MR provides real-time image guidance during surgery, allowing doctors to see through the patient’s breast tissues. Consequently, ensures effective removal of the tumors without damaging the healthy tissues, reduces the risk of complications and the need for reoperations. On a single medical platform, mixed reality provides seamless access to patient information, real-time visualizations and surgical plans helping surgeons use gestures or voice commands to manage the visual overlay, keeping their attention on surgery.
The surgical training of the upcoming generation of doctors/surgeons can be done with the use of MR technology. Before performing actual surgeries trainees can practice complex procedures in simulated settings, improving surgical proficiency, patient safety, and thereby shortening the learning curves.
conclusion
In conclusion, by providing an intuitive environment, real-time imaging guidance, and better results, MR technology improves breast cancer surgery. The integration of MR into the surgical workflow has the potential to reduce operative complications through simulation training, minimize patient recovery time, and ultimately enhance the overall quality of life for patients. MR as a medical simulation platform can be an ideal training tool in healthcare services.