Surgeons at Amsterdam UMC have performed the world’s first brain surgery using a new mixed reality technique.
The technology allows users to view 3D images of the patient’s brain through glasses.
Neurosurgeon Maarten Bot used the technology to insert a drain.
With the current method, neurosurgeons use a navigation system to determine in advance where they need to be in the brain’s ventricles, but it’s often impractical to consult the system during surgery.
With the new ‘mixed reality’ technology, surgeons can now use the HoloLens glasses that display a hologram of the brain during surgery, projected onto the patient’s head. This allows them to visualise the path of the drain insertion.
Maarten Bot was the first to use mixed reality during a drain insertion.
He said: ‘Think of it like a car’s navigation system. The current method is a bit like seeing the route in advance, but not being able to see it while driving. With the hologram, you can see where you are and where you need to go while driving, without taking your eyes off the road.’
In patients who require a drain, cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain. Normally, this fluid is completely replaced several times a day, and the blood drains away the old fluid. This process can be disrupted in people for various reasons. They need a drain to remove the excess fluid.
Bot said: ‘Neurosurgeons perform this procedure so often that they are very adept at it. Yet, in about 2 out of 10 cases, the needle is inserted incorrectly. The surgery then has to be repeated, which is difficult for the patient. The glasses seem to make it easier to insert the needle in the right place the first time.’
In collaboration with UMC Utrecht, Maarten Bot is launching a clinical trial in which patients at Amsterdam UMC who require a brain drain can undergo surgery using mixed reality technology. The study should determine whether the drain is actually placed less incorrectly.
