Virtual Liver Surgery Planning using CT and SPECT Data

Liver resection has evolved to an established treatment for various types of liver tumors. Detailed planning of liver resections requires the assessment of liver (patho)anatomy and regional distribution of hepatic function. The goal of this research project is to develop a method that allows the use of functional scans depicting liver function in combination with the anatomical CT data based virtual liver surgery planning system developed under the FWF research project P14897 (Working title: "Virtual liver surgery planning with segmented CT images"). By including information about hepatic function, estimation of postoperative residual functional liver capacity will be possible, which is critical for the prediction of a potential liver failure after surgery. In addition, it will allow a detailed planning of atypical resections in cases where liver segment based resections are not applicable. To include information about regional liver function, Hepatic Immunodiacetic Acid (HIDA) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans will be used. The proposed project will develop methods for the precise registration of SPECT and CT data sets and highly automated Augmented Reality based resection planning tools to support physicians preparing for a surgical intervention. The interactive process of resection planning will utilize a full-blown Augmented Reality environment, including stereoscopic see-through head-mounted displays, an optical tracking system and tracked input devices. Real 3D interaction will allow physicians to easily inspect, edit and plan different resection strategies. Liver segmentation will also be addressed by this project, since the registered CT and SPECT data allows for new more robust solutions of this difficult problem. After development, individual components for registration, segmentation and resection planning tools, as well as the whole approach to liver surgery planning will undergo a careful validation. The outcome of the proposed project represents an important step towards the development of routinely usable liver surgery planning systems and will build a basis for other pre- and inter-operative surgical applications.

Liver resection has evolved to an established treatment for various types of liver tumors. Detailed planning of liver resections requires the assessment of liver (patho)anatomy and regional distribution of hepatic function. The goal of this research project is to develop a method that allows the use of functional scans depicting liver function in combination with the anatomical CT data based virtual liver surgery planning system developed under the FWF research project P14897 (Working title: "Virtual liver surgery planning with segmented CT images"). By including information about hepatic function, estimation of postoperative residual functional liver capacity will be possible, which is critical for the prediction of a potential liver failure after surgery. In addition, it will allow a detailed planning of atypical resections in cases where liver segment based resections are not applicable. To include information about regional liver function, Hepatic Immunodiacetic Acid (HIDA) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans will be used. The proposed project will develop methods for the precise registration of SPECT and CT data sets and highly automated Augmented Reality based resection planning tools to support physicians preparing for a surgical intervention. The interactive process of resection planning will utilize a full-blown Augmented Reality environment, including stereoscopic see-through head-mounted displays, an optical tracking system and tracked input devices. Real 3D interaction will allow physicians to easily inspect, edit and plan different resection strategies. Liver segmentation will also be addressed by this project, since the registered CT and SPECT data allows for new more robust solutions of this difficult problem. After development, individual components for registration, segmentation and resection planning tools, as well as the whole approach to liver surgery planning will undergo a careful validation. The outcome of the proposed project represents an important step towards the development of routinely usable liver surgery planning systems and will build a basis for other pre- and inter-operative surgical applications.