Abstract
Purpose: :
To develope an image guided (IG) flexible orbital endoscope for neuroprotective treatment of the optic nerve and test the system in a live porcine model.
Methods: :
In an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved study, three pigs were anesthetized and 0.1ml glass spheres containing both a coloring agent and an MR contrast agent were placed in different retrobulbar locations. The color of the sphere with the contrast agent was blind to the surgeon. The pigs were imaged on a Philips 3T MRI machine using a head coil and a T1-weighted imaging protocol. The tomograms were loaded into our proprietary image-guided surgery system and the image space and physical space registered. Fiducial Registration Error (FRE) was approximately 2 mm ±0.45 mm. The surgeon used the tracked endoscope, guided to the target and stated its color.
Results: :
The IG system allowed for rapid and accurate identification of the target embedded in the orbital fat. In our small number of trials we have 100% correct identification.
Conclusions: :
The designed IG endoscopic system provides accurate guidance, short learning curves and safe delivery to the retrobulbar space.
Keywords: orbit • imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • optic nerve