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Special Issue "Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality"

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Communication and Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 16420

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nicola Montemurro

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Guest Editor

Department of Neurosurgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), University of Pisa, 56010 Pisa, Italy
Interests: brain tumor; glioblastoma multiforme; low-grade glioma; meningioma; schwannoma; augmented reality; tractography; neurosurgery
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, huge progress has been made in the diagnosis and management of brain tumors.

Every year, new surgical intraoperative and planning tools, such as the use of intraoperative MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), tractography and fluorescent dyes intraoperatively, improve the extent of surgical resection. Similarly recent advances in brain tumor imaging have offered unique anatomical as well as pathophysiological information that provides new insights into brain tumors, directed at facilitating therapeutic decisions and providing information regarding prognosis. In addition to all this, the use of augmented reality and virtual reality in the field of neuroscience and neurosurgery has opened new horizons and new opportunities.

This Special Issue will explore the public health implications and epidemiology of new technology in brain tumors, explore emerging research and innovative strategies to reduce morbidity, and report clinical series reporting new surgical technologies and rehabilitation treatments. We welcome original papers, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical images, and thorough reviews on this interesting topic, as well as stereotactic radiosurgery, endoscopic brain surgery, laser interstitial thermal therapy, and oncological studies that lay emphasis on quality of life.

This Special Issue aims to provide a complex source of up-to-date data used by neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, rehabilitation physicians, neuropsychologists, and biomedical engineers.

Dr. Nicola Montemurro
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

brain tumor
glioma
meningioma
schwannoma
augmented reality
virtual reality
neuro-navigation technology
intraoperative ultrasound
awake brain surgery
intraoperative fluorescence technology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 272 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Brain Tumor and Augmented Reality: New Technologies for the Future

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6347; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106347 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1735

Abstract

In recent years, huge progress has been made in the management of brain tumors, due to the availability of imaging devices, which provide fundamental anatomical and pathological information not only for diagnostic purposes [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality)

Research

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14 pages, 911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of the Functional State and Motor Skills of Patients after Cerebral Hemisphere, Ventricular System, and Cerebellopontine Angle Tumor Surgery

Stanisław Krajewski

Jacek Furtak

Monika Zawadka-Kunikowska

Michał Kachelski

Marcin Birski

and

Marek Harat

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2308; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042308 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1360

Abstract

Brain tumor location is an important factor determining the functional state after brain tumor surgery. We assessed the functional state and course of rehabilitation of patients undergoing surgery for brain tumors and assessed the location-dependent risk of loss of basic motor skills and the time needed for improvement after surgery. There were 835 patients who underwent operations, and 139 (16.6%) required rehabilitation during the inpatient stay. Karnofsky Performance Scale, Barthel Index, and the modified Rankin scale were used to assess functional status, whereas Gait Index was used to assess gait efficiency. Motor skills, overall length of stay (LOS) in hospital, and LOS after surgery were recorded. Patients were classified into four groups: cerebral hemisphere (CH), ventricular system (VS), and cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumors; and a control group not requiring rehabilitation. VS tumor patients had the lowest scores in all domains compared with the other groups before surgery (p < 0.001). Their performance further deteriorated after surgery and by the day of discharge. They most often required long-lasting postoperative rehabilitation and had the longest LOS (35 days). Operation was most often required for CH tumors (77.7%), and all metrics and LOS parameters were better in these patients (p < 0.001). Patients with CPA tumors had the best outcomes (p < 0.001). Most patients (83.4%) with brain tumors did not require specialized rehabilitation, and LOS after surgery in the control group was on average 5.1 days after surgery. VS tumor patients represent a rehabilitation challenge. Postoperative rehabilitation planning must take the tumor site and preoperative condition into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality)

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13 pages, 72477 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Augmented Reality-Assisted Craniotomy for Parasagittal and Convexity En Plaque Meningiomas and Custom-Made Cranio-Plasty: A Preliminary Laboratory Report

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(19), 9955; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18199955 - 22 Sep 2021

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 2722

Abstract

Background: This report discusses the utility of a wearable augmented reality platform in neurosurgery for parasagittal and convexity en plaque meningiomas with bone flap removal and custom-made cranioplasty. Methods: A real patient with en plaque cranial vault meningioma with diffuse and extensive dural involvement, extracranial extension into the calvarium, and homogeneous contrast enhancement on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted MRI, was selected for this case study. A patient-specific manikin was designed starting with the segmentation of the patient’s preoperative MRI images to simulate a craniotomy procedure. Surgical planning was performed according to the segmented anatomy, and customized bone flaps were designed accordingly. During the surgical simulation stage, the VOSTARS head-mounted display was used to accurately display the planned craniotomy trajectory over the manikin skull. The precision of the craniotomy was assessed based on the evaluation of previously prepared custom-made bone flaps. Results: A bone flap with a radius 0.5 mm smaller than the radius of an ideal craniotomy fitted perfectly over the performed craniotomy, demonstrating an error of less than ±1 mm in the task execution. The results of this laboratory-based experiment suggest that the proposed augmented reality platform helps in simulating convexity en plaque meningioma resection and custom-made cranioplasty, as carefully planned in the preoperative phase. Conclusions: Augmented reality head-mounted displays have the potential to be a useful adjunct in tumor surgical resection, cranial vault lesion craniotomy and also skull base surgery, but more study with large series is needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality)

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Review

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14 pages, 948 KiB

Open AccessReview

Virtual Reality in Neurosurgery: Beyond Neurosurgical Planning

Rakesh Mishra

M.D. Krishna Narayanan

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031719 - 02 Feb 2022

Cited by 58 | Viewed by 6203

Abstract

Background: While several publications have focused on the intuitive role of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in neurosurgical planning, the aim of this review was to explore other avenues, where these technologies have significant utility and applicability. Methods: This review was conducted by searching PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, the Scopus database, the Web of Science Core Collection database, and the SciELO citation index, from 1989–2021. An example of a search strategy used in PubMed Central is: “Virtual reality” [All Fields] AND (“neurosurgical procedures” [MeSH Terms] OR (“neurosurgical” [All Fields] AND “procedures” [All Fields]) OR “neurosurgical procedures” [All Fields] OR “neurosurgery” [All Fields] OR “neurosurgery” [MeSH Terms]). Using this search strategy, we identified 487 (PubMed), 1097 (PubMed Central), and 275 citations (Web of Science Core Collection database). Results: Articles were found and reviewed showing numerous applications of VR/AR in neurosurgery. These applications included their utility as a supplement and augment for neuronavigation in the fields of diagnosis for complex vascular interventions, spine deformity correction, resident training, procedural practice, pain management, and rehabilitation of neurosurgical patients. These technologies have also shown promise in other area of neurosurgery, such as consent taking, training of ancillary personnel, and improving patient comfort during procedures, as well as a tool for training neurosurgeons in other advancements in the field, such as robotic neurosurgery. Conclusions: We present the first review of the immense possibilities of VR in neurosurgery, beyond merely planning for surgical procedures. The importance of VR and AR, especially in “social distancing” in neurosurgery training, for economically disadvantaged sections, for prevention of medicolegal claims and in pain management and rehabilitation, is promising and warrants further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality)

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Other

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18 pages, 2412 KiB

Open AccessCommentary

New Targets and New Technologies in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease: A Narrative Review

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8799; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148799 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3351

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, whose main neuropathological finding is pars compacta degeneration due to the accumulation of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, and subsequent dopamine depletion. This leads to an increase in the activity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the internal globus pallidus (GPi). Understanding functional anatomy is the key to understanding and developing new targets and new technologies that could potentially improve motor and non-motor symptoms in PD. Currently, the classical targets are insufficient to improve the entire wide spectrum of symptoms in PD (especially non-dopaminergic ones) and none are free of the side effects which are not only associated with the procedure, but with the targets themselves. The objective of this narrative review is to show new targets in DBS surgery as well as new technologies that are under study and have shown promising results to date. The aim is to give an overview of these new targets, as well as their limitations, and describe the current studies in this research field in order to review ongoing research that will probably become effective and routine treatments for PD in the near future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Brain Tumors, New Technologies and Augmented Reality)

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