DTI-based virtual reality system for neurosurgery.

The relationship between tumor mass and peritumoral structures including peritumoral edema is important for planning surgical trajectory and crucial for diagnosis, tumor excision, and post-surgical outcome. The recent development of diffusion tensor MRI has shown its feasibility in grading tumor, monitoring therapeutic effects, and post-surgery outcome. To visualize the tumor mass and the peritumoral structure, a 3D virtual reality environment was developed. Neural tractography and peritumoral anatomy were integrated in this interaction VR system. Using a 3D controller, suitable surgical trajectory can be defined by manipulating the tumor mass, peritumoral microstructure, and brain tissues before neurosurgery. Post-surgery evaluation showed that this system was useful to design pre-surgical plan and optimize therapeutic outcome.