Objective: To develop consensus definitions of image-guided surgery, computer-assisted surgery, hybrid operating room, and surgical navigation systems.
Summary background data: The use of minimally invasive procedures has increased tremendously over the past 2 decades, but terminology related to image-guided minimally invasive procedures has not been standardized, which is a barrier to clear communication.
Methods: Experts in image-guided techniques and specialized engineers were invited to engage in a systematic process to develop consensus definitions of the key terms listed above. The process was designed following review of common consensus-development methodologies and included participation in 4 online surveys and a post-surveys face-to-face panel meeting held in Strasbourg, France.
Results: The experts settled on the terms computer-assisted surgery and intervention, image-guided surgery and intervention, hybrid operating room, and guidance systems and agreed-upon definitions of these terms, with rates of consensus of more than 80% for each term. The methodology used proved to be a compelling strategy to overcome the current difficulties related to data growth rates and technological convergence in this field.
Conclusions: Our multidisciplinary collaborative approach resulted in consensus definitions that may improve communication, knowledge transfer, collaboration, and research in the rapidly changing field of image-guided minimally invasive techniques.
Keywords: computer assistance; guidance systems; hybrid operating room; image guidance; minimal invasion.
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.