A 3D stereotactic atlas of the adult human skull base

Abstract

BackgroundThe skull base region is anatomically complex and poses surgical challenges. Although many textbooks describe this region illustrated well with drawings, scans and photographs, a complete, 3D, electronic, interactive, realistic, fully segmented and labeled, and stereotactic atlas of the skull base has not yet been built. Our goal is to create a 3D electronic atlas of the adult human skull base along with interactive tools for structure manipulation, exploration, and quantification.MethodsMultiple in vivo 3/7 T MRI and high-resolution CT scans of the same normal, male head specimen have been acquired. From the scans, by employing dedicated tools and modeling techniques, 3D digital virtual models of the skull, brain, cranial nerves, intra- and extracranial vasculature have earlier been constructed. Integrating these models and developing a browser with dedicated interaction, the skull base atlas has been built.ResultsThis is the first, to our best knowledge, truly 3D atlas of the adult human skull base that has been created, which includes a fully parcellated and labeled brain, skull, cranial nerves, and intra- and extracranial vasculature.ConclusionThis atlas is a useful aid in understanding and teaching spatial relationships of the skull base anatomy, a helpful tool to generate teaching materials, and a component of any skull base surgical simulator.

Enhancing neuro-ophthalmic surgical education: The role of neuroanatomy and 3D digital technologies – An overview

“…The results section of our narrative review highlights the transformative role of 3D digital modeling and virtual reality (VR) technologies in enhancing the educational landscape. The pioneering work by Nowinski and Thaung[ 15 ] has been instrumental in defining the state-of-the-art 3D digital brain atlases, covering both normal and disordered states of the central nervous system. Their efforts culminated in the creation of an advanced, detailed, and interactive 3D atlas of the whole human brain, which has been made freely accessible and continues to receive updates.…”

“…This narrative review seeks to explore the intricate interplay between neuroanatomy and neurosurgical practices within the realm of neuro-ophthalmology, a field that has seen substantial evolution from its historical roots to the modern era. [ 6 , 15 ] Despite significant advancements, the education of aspiring neuro-ophthalmic surgeons faces challenges, notably in integrating complex neuroanatomical knowledge with practical surgical skills. Our aim is to review current literature that details the current status of neuro-ophthalmic surgical training, identifies current deficiencies in education, and offers a vision for improvement.…”

Operative Anatomy of the Skull Base: 3D Exploration with a Highly Detailed Interactive Atlas

“…The virtual models of the skull, brain, brainstem, cranial nerves, intra- and extracranial vasculature, white matter tracts, and visual and auditory systems were developed from 3- and 7-T MRI and high-resolution CT scans of the same healthy Caucasian male. The technical details of the 3D atlas building have been addressed elsewhere, 24 including segmentation and parcellation of the tomographic data into individual structures, 3D surface modelling, color-coding, and naming based on Terminologia Anatomica , 25 as well as placement of the models in the Talairach stereotactic coordinate system. 20 The structural anatomy was validated against domain knowledge from multiple perspectives and communities including neurosurgery, neuroanatomy, neuroradiology, and terminology.…”

“…21,22 The matrix for generating these structures was high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a healthy Caucasian male (Wieslaw Nowinski). The most recent version of the atlas was developed from 2010 to 2015 23,24 and contains the skull base. It includes accurate bone morphology, derived from computed tomography (CT) of the same male subject, cranial nerves, the structures of the inner ear, arterial and venous vasculature, and the brainstem with its major fiber tracts and nuclei.…”