We conducted an initial experiment with a commercial anatomic training model. A snapshot of the physician's view of the model is at the top of this page. Using this system, our physician collaborator (Anthony A. Meyer, MD) successfully pierced a small foam target inside the abdominal cavity of the model guided by our prototype system. For this experiment, the laparoscopic camera was mounted statically and the 3D geometry inside the model was scanned pre-operatively. This experiment showed the importance of extracting the internal surface geometry in real-time, using depth extraction methods. The results were encouraging, emphasizing the potential value for the physician to have a natural view of the intervention area from his own physical vantage point, rather than a view constrained by the placement of the laparoscope.
A paper describing our prototype system has been accepted to MICCAI 98. The title, authors, and abstract are below. Some technical details about the AR laparoscopic visualization system are available.