University of Houston

Image-guided interventions and certain surgical procedures utilize radiologic imaging for identifying the most appropriate path for accessing a targeted structure. Often, such preoperative planning entail the use of multi-contrast or multi-modal imaging for assessing different aspects of patients' pathophysiology related to the procedure. This thesis proposes a method for generating a virtual representation of the area of operation for preoperative planning. It is done by the generation of access-maps on the surface of the skin of the patient that can guide the clinician in selecting an entrance point for accessing a specific targeted anatomical structure with a straight access path. The operator can conveniently inspect this projection and representation to determine the most appropriate path of access by avoiding vital structures and minimizing potential trauma to healthy tissue. The user evaluation of neurosurgeons showed that the method is intuitive and effective for neurosurgical interventions.