Three-Dimensional Reconstruction for Cortical Surgery: The Brigham and Women's Hospital Experience

This article describes the use of 3D reconstruction for preoperative surgical planning and intraoperative navigation for cortical surgery. Before each surgical procedure, a detailed structural and functional model is reconstructed from magnetic resonance imaging scans and functional mapping modalities. These models, when integrated with direct intraoperative cortical mapping, create an integral 3D map of the cortical surface surrounding the lesion and its relation to the whole brain anatomy. A navigation system is coupled to the surgical field using skin-to-skin registration involving infrared light-emitting diode instrument tracking. This allows accurate guidance in the mapped 3D space. These detailed, patient-specific 3D maps of the brain are used as a method of accurately assessing the surgical approach, determining the potential neurologic risks, and navigating within the brain. One hundred fifty-five patients have been treated with this system for either preoperative planning or surgical navigation.