A noncontacting 3-D digitizer for use in image-guided neurosurgery.

Current neuronavigational systems face two primary challenges: (1) automatic and robust registration between preoperative images and the operating room space, and (2) compensation for brain deformations that compromise the accuracy of the initial registration. To contend with these difficulties, we firstly estimate the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of the cortical surface using a noncontacting 3-D digitizer. This 3-D structure is then used to establish the initial registration, and to update the preoperative MR volume as the brain deforms. We show that this approach improves the accuracy of registration in a phantom study, and demonstrate the ability to capture cortical motion in six clinical cases. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel