3D Multimodal Navigation System for Transvascular Interventions

Surgical procedures are increasingly being performed using minimally invasive methods in a manner that is gentle for the patient. These include transvascular interventions, where the vessels are used as access (approx. 745,000 procedures in 2011). In addition to established procedures, such as treatment of acute myocardial infarctions or stroke, new complex techniques such as the transvascular implantation of heart valves or the opening of completely occluded vessels are being developed. In the course of the intervention, it is important to ensure that the surgeon can follow the the path through the vessels to the site of the intervention safely and reproducibly. With few exceptions, the necessary navigation is performed using the imaging technique of x-ray fluoroscopy. A major limitation of this technique is that sufficient spatial information about the various organs cannot be generated. Thus, navigation and documentation of complex procedures are highly limited today.

Comparable to navigation in road traffic, individual three-dimensional “maps” of the patient (3D models) are to be used in this project in conjunction with a “GPS” to guarantee the surgeon the necessary information and to document the course of the operation. This is expected to lead to a significant reduction in the risk of intervention and corresponding complications, and consequently to a reduction in hospital stays, reintervention rates, sick days and costs for the healthcare system. Furthermore, improved navigation will allow complex interventions to be performed in a larger number of centers, leading to improved patient access to these innovative procedures and increased translation of conventional surgical procedures to interventional approaches.

Within the project, a demonstrator for 3D navigation and documentation of transvascular interventions will be developed and evaluated with clinically acquired data. The software solution will be independent of the X-ray system used and can be adapted to the systems of various manufacturers of catheter workstations after successful completion of the project.