X-Ray Device Positioning with Augmented Reality Visual Feedback

Kartikay Tehlan, Alexander Winkler, Daniel Roth, Nassir Navab

Abstract: In minimally invasive surgeries one common way to verify progress is the use of an intraoperative X-ray device (due to its characteristic shape called a C-arm). Its control, however, remains challenging owing to its complex movements. We propose the use of an Augmented Reality Head-Mounted Display (AR-HMD) to let the surgeon choose a desired X-ray view interventionally providing the corresponding C-arm configuration as visual feedback. The study participants' feedback, despite being critical of the HMD hardware limitations, suggests an inclination towards using AR for orthopaedic surgeries on especially complex or unusual anatomies.