Augmented Reality-Based Tumor Localization and Visualization for Robot-Assisted Breast Surgeries

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women, hence accurately locating and removing the tumor is crucial. Current wire and non-wire tumor localization methods are invasive and cause patient discomfort. While Robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has shown potential in enhancing accuracy, dexterity, and surgeon autonomy, the absence of 3D visualization of the tumor and the deformable nature of the breast have made it challenging for it to be used in breast surgeries extensively. In this paper, we propose a non-invasive augmented reality-based tumor localization and visualization system for robot-assisted breast surgeries. The system can superimpose an augmented tumor on the physical breast and estimate its position in response to various deformations in real-time intraoperatively while being displayed on the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) surgical console. The performance of the system is analyzed through experiments in two stages and results show sub-centimeter accuracy in tumor overlay and movement.