FWF - virt Leberoperation - 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. A method is developed allowing the use of scans depicting liver function together with the anatomical CT. By including information about hepatic function, estimation of postoperative residual functional liver capacity will be possible, which is critical to detect a potential liver failure after surgery. To include information about regional liver function, Hepatic Immunodiacetic Acid (HIDA) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans are used. The project develops methods for precise registration of SPECT and CT data sets and highly automated AR based liver resection planning tools even for atypical resections. The interactive process of resection planning will utilize a full-blown AR environment, including stereoscopic see-through head-mounted displays, an optical tracking system and tracked input devices. Real 3D interaction allows physicians to inspect, edit and plan different resection strategies. Liver segmentation is addressed, since the registered CT and SPECT data allows for new solutions of this problem. Individual components for registration, segmentation and resection planning tools and the whole approach to liver surgery planning undergo a careful validation.