ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality in Medicine
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2025.1629772
This article is part of the Research TopicEnabling the Medical Extended Reality ecosystem - Advancements in Technology, Applications and Regulatory ScienceView all 12 articles
Augmented Reality Navigation with Visual Tracking Guide Template for Pedicle Screw Placement
Provisionally accepted
- Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, China
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To develop and validate a radiation-free augmented reality (AR) navigation system using a novel Visual Tracking Guide Template (VTGT) for improving the accuracy and efficiency of pedicle screw placement. Methods: The VTGT is used to complete the registration and real-time tracking of AR images, and to build the AR navigation technology framework for pedicle screw placement. Following a clinical scenario, operators wearing AR devices simulate the pedicle screw placement on spine models using K-wires. The navigation errors were measured by assessing the deviation value of the entry point (DVEP) and trajectory angle (DVTA). The clinical feasibility and safety were evaluated based on operation time and the Gertzbein-Robbins scale. Results: 5 junior residents participated in the experiment, and 100 K-wires were placed. The average time for each K-wire was 36.4 seconds. The DVEP was 2.20mm ± 0.55mm, and the DVTA was 2.30°± 0.78°.According to the Gertzbein-Robbins scale, all screws met the clinical safety requirements. Conclusion:This study initially confirms the feasibility and utility of AR navigation technology based on the VTGT for pedicle screw placement.
Keywords: visual tracking guide template, Pedicle screw placement, Augmented Realitiy, Spine, navigation
Received: 16 May 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Zhang and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Peihai Zhang, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, China
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