The Wearable VOSTARS System for Augmented Reality-Guided Surgery: Preclinical Phantom Evaluation for High-Precision Maxillofacial Tasks.

BACKGROUND

In the context of guided surgery, augmented reality (AR) represents a groundbreaking improvement. The Video and Optical See-Through Augmented Reality Surgical System (VOSTARS) is a new AR wearable head-mounted display (HMD), recently developed as an advanced navigation tool for maxillofacial and plastic surgery and other non-endoscopic surgeries. In this study, we report results of phantom tests with VOSTARS aimed to evaluate its feasibility and accuracy in performing maxillofacial surgical tasks.

METHODS

An early prototype of VOSTARS was used. Le Fort 1 osteotomy was selected as the experimental task to be performed under VOSTARS guidance. A dedicated set-up was prepared, including the design of a maxillofacial phantom, an ad hoc tracker anchored to the occlusal splint, and cutting templates for accuracy assessment. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments were carried out.

RESULTS

VOSTARS, used in combination with the designed maxilla tracker, showed excellent tracking robustness under operating room lighting. Accuracy tests showed that 100% of Le Fort 1 trajectories were traced with an accuracy of ±1.0 mm, and on average, 88% of the trajectory's length was within ±0.5 mm accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our preliminary results suggest that the VOSTARS system can be a feasible and accurate solution for guiding maxillofacial surgical tasks, paving the way to its validation in clinical trials and for a wide spectrum of maxillofacial applications.