Head‐Mounted Devices for Noninvasive Cancer Imaging and Intraoperative Image‐Guided Surgery

Abstract

Medical imaging methods have improved the detection of human diseases with increasing accuracy. The ability to probe molecular processes noninvasively or using tissue‐selective imaging agents and nanoparticles has made it possible to localize, identify the stage, and determine the functional status of pathological lesions. The challenges in detecting cancer particularly have driven the development of diverse imaging technologies. While earlier cancer imaging methods enabled preoperative evaluation, the need to track and visualize cancer location in the operating room itself has ushered in new systems capable of providing concurrent images of cancer during surgery. Intraoperative use of conventional clinical imaging modalities is often limited by bulky hardware design, prohibitive cost, lack of real‐time image display, and compatibility with conventional hardware interfaces. For these reasons, focus on fluorescence‐guided surgery (FGS) devices has increased to take advantage of real‐time, high‐resolution, functional imaging with hardware that has become increasingly amenable to miniaturization. In particular, the adaptation of wearable devices for FGS presents hands‐free capability for optimal navigation during cancer surgery. The evolution of head‐mounted devices in the operating room and adaptation for FGS is highlighted. Key challenges to wide clinical adoption of this imaging platform are identified and potential future directions are suggested.

Mesoscopic fluorescence lifetime imaging: Fundamental principles, clinical applications and future directions

“…The incorporation of an aiming beam to track the measurement location permits real‐time display of individual or combined FLIm parameters superimposed to an image of the surgical field‐of‐view for an augmented reality visualization experience [110, 118]. For applications where the current standard of care does not require an imaging system (ie, cameras), mixed‐reality visualization approaches with goggles or ancillary screens could enable enhanced surgical guidance [232–237].…”

Design and Testing of Augmented Reality-Based Fluorescence Imaging Goggle for Intraoperative Imaging-Guided Surgery

“…If this issue is not addressed, the projected fluorescence image could cause severe eye fatigue as the user would need to switch focus between the real image and the fluorescence image. Therefore, an additional image-processing algorithm was needed [ 38 ]. However, our system can be more consistent with fluorescence images to the actual area using the mount which can more precisely align, and simple algorithms which can adjust the size or rotate the angles of the supplied fluorescence images.…”

Flexible and Stretchable Organic Electrochemical Transistors for Physiological Sensing Devices

“…[216] In this study, an organic photovoltaic (OPV) power source with a high power conversion efficiency of 10.5% was integrated with an OECT on a 1 μm-thick flexible parylene film. For the OPV device proposed in this work, a bulk heterojunction comprising poly [4,8- [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester was used as the photoactive layer, and a solution-processable zinc oxide nanoparticle layer was served as the electron-transporting layer. In addition, the OPV device also consisted of a 100 nm-thick layer of bottomindium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, a 100 nm-thick layer of top Ag electrode, as well as a Cr/Au electrode as the contact pad.…”

“…Physiological sensing by means of building interfaces between sensing elements and cells, tissues, and organs of biological systems is of great significance for the fundamental investigation of biosignal transmission and processing, [ 1–3 ] disease diagnosis, [ 4–7 ] pathology, [ 8–12 ] and health monitoring. [ 13–16 ] The development of flexible / stretchable electronic devices that are sensitive to physiological signals provides an efficient and convenient way for not only basic pathological research but also the realization of wearable electronics for reliable in situ medical diagnosis and monitoring.…”