In surgical operations, the surgeon needs an appropriate magnified image according to the situation in order to open the abdomen or suture blood vessels. Since a loupe has a fixed magnification and a microscope depends on the position of the surgeon’s body, we have developed a wearable visual support system that enables magnification and reduction based on the surgeon’s operational will.
In order not to interfere with intraoperative communication and the operation of the device with both hands and feet, the intention to operate the device was obtained from the biopotential signals of the temporal muscles in this study. To operate the device using biopotential signals, we developed a measurement unit consisting of electrodes, amplifier circuit, microcontroller, Bluetooth communication module, and Li-ion battery. For visual presentation, we used HoloLens, an optically transmissive HMD consisting of a computer, a retinal projection display, and an RGB camera. For the visual field expansion/contraction operation, the time to lightly bite the back gingival and the number of large blinks were analyzed from the acquired biopotential signals, respectively, and reflected in the video processing and visual presentation of the RGB camera.
In the simulated surgery study, a neurosurgeon performed a longitudinal incision and anastomosis on a simulated blood vessel with a 4 mm OD. As a result of comparing the technique using the loupe and the system, there was almost no outflow of simulated blood from the anastomosis area, and it was confirmed that the system could ensure the same accuracy as the loupe. The physicians commented that the system was easy to operate intuitively without any malfunction, and that it was good because it reduced the blind spots during the operation by providing the peripheral field of view as well as the magnified field of view. These results indicate that the system has the potential to be used for intraoperative visual support.
上原皓, 朝倉靖成, 河本浩明, 丸島愛樹, 松村英明, “操作意志に基づく拡大・縮小操作可能な装着型視覚支援システム,” 第18回日本VR医学会学術大会, 2018年9月1日, 徳島.
Akira Uehara 