An IMU-Based Auditory Early Warning Method for the Intracranial Hematoma Puncture Surgery Navigation

The current existing navigation systems designed for the intracranial hematoma puncture surgeries include optoelectronic systems, electromagnetic systems, stereotactic systems, etc. However, these systems have the following limitations: disturbance easily from electromagnet and light, lack of portability/flexibility (i.e., the head has to be fixed before and during the surgery), and requiring large space and area of the surgical room. Considering the portability and easy operation of a surgical assistive system, an IMU-based solution has been proposed in our previous study. In this paper, an auditory feedback method during seeker needle approaching is proposed to provide warning alert in advance. A prototype is designed and integrated into the assistive system for the intracranial hematoma puncture surgery to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. The system mainly consists of a navigation module and an auditory early warning module. By simulating the puncture surgery procedure, the experimental results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of three angles are less than $0.7^{\mathrm{o}}$. It demonstrates that the prototype system has great potential to assist surgeons in the puncture surgeries, especially for those young surgeons in the underdeveloped areas lacking superior medical conditions. In addition, it suggests avoiding over-receiving visual information might improve the success rate during a complex surgical scenario.