Technical accuracy of optical and the electromagnetic tracking systems

Abstract

Thousands of operations are annually guided with computer assisted surgery (CAS) technologies. As the use of these devices is rapidly increasing, the reliability of the devices becomes ever more critical. The problem of accuracy assessment of the devices has thus become relevant. During the past five years, over 200 hazardous situations have been documented in the MAUDE database during operations using these devices in the field of neurosurgery alone. Had the accuracy of these devices been periodically assessed pre-operatively, many of them might have been prevented.The technical accuracy of a commercial navigator enabling the use of both optical (OTS) and electromagnetic (EMTS) tracking systems was assessed in the hospital setting using accuracy assessment tools and methods developed by the authors of this paper. The technical accuracy was obtained by comparing the positions of the navigated tool tip with the phantom accuracy assessment points. Each assessment contained a total of 51 points and a region of surgical interest (ROSI) volume of 120x120x100 mm roughly mimicking the size of the human head.The error analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of the trend of accuracy of the surgical navigator modalities. This study showed that the technical accuracies of OTS and EMTS over the pre-determined ROSI were nearly equal. However, the placement of the particular modality hardware needs to be optimized for the surgical procedure. New applications of EMTS, which does not require rigid immobilization of the surgical area, are suggested.

Electromagnetic Tracking in Medicine—A Review of Technology, Validation, and Applications

“…Schicho et al tested the StealthStation R Treon R EM system and also found better results compared to the NDI Aurora R [162]. Koivukangas et al also performed a study with a StealthStation system, comparing EM and optical tracking, and found a slightly better accuracy for the latter [79].…”

“…In the context of accuracy assessment, a direct comparison of EM tracking to optical tracking would also be of interest, but, even though some authors tested both systems in clinical environments and found better results for optical tracking (e.g., [79,172], see Sec. 6-C), a similar standardized assessment for both technologies is not available.…”

Analysis of the Accuracy and Robustness of the Leap Motion Controller

“…A reference aluminum block with precisely drilled holes, which are detected by the mechanical and optical position tracker, serves as ground truth. Koivukangas et al [16] use a specially designed accuracy assessment phantom, a cube with high precision set assessment point, in order to evaluate the accuracy of optical tracking systems used in surgical area.…”

Evaluation of pelvic floor kinematics in continent and incontinent women during running: An exploratory study

“…The electromagnetic tracking system (ETS) has been successfully used for surgical navigation and its technical accuracy to track motion has been investigated . It has to be admitted that the main focus of this study was to explore the direction rather than the magnitude of displacement.…”