Real-Time Integration of Optical Coherence Tomography Thickness Map Overlays for Enhanced Visualization in Epiretinal Membrane Surgery: A Pilot Study.

(1)

Background

The process of epiretinal membrane peeling (MP) requires precise intraoperative visualization to achieve optimal surgical outcomes. This study investigates the integration of preoperative Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images into real-time surgical video feeds, providing a dynamic overlay that enhances the decision-making process during surgery. (2)

Methods

Five MP surgeries were analyzed, where preoperative OCT images were first manually aligned with the initial frame of the surgical video by selecting five pairs of corresponding points. A homography transformation was then computed to overlay the OCT onto that first frame. Subsequently, for consecutive frames, feature point extraction (the Shi-Tomasi method) and optical flow computation (the Lucas-Kanade algorithm) were used to calculate frame-by-frame transformations, which were applied to the OCT image to maintain alignment in near real time. (3)

Results

The method achieved a 92.7% success rate in optical flow detection and maintained an average processing speed of 7.56 frames per second (FPS), demonstrating the feasibility of near real-time application. (4)

Conclusions

The developed approach facilitates enhanced intraoperative visualization, providing surgeons with easier retinal structure identification which results in more comprehensive data-driven decisions. By improving surgical precision while potentially reducing complications, this technique benefits both surgeons and patients. Furthermore, the integration of OCT overlays holds promise for advancing robot-assisted surgery and surgical training protocols. This pilot study establishes the feasibility of real-time OCT integration in MP and opens avenues for broader applications in vitreoretinal procedures.