Characterization and Enhancement of Transorbital Endoscopy

Abstract

Image guided transorbital endoscopic procedures have the potential to introduce new forms of therapy to the optic nerve, such as direct delivery of neuroprotective drugs for glaucoma treatment. This technique was confirmed to be possible and accurate in live animal studies, though featuring long procedure times. Navigation was enhanced by incorporating endoscopic video augmentation, which was demonstrated to significantly reduce procedure times while also improving accuracy in a series of phantom experiments performed by a diverse group of surgeons. In order to further the case for human application, procedure safety was assessed by characterizing the possible forces inflicted on the optic nerve in a phantom simulation. Measured forces implied reasonably low risk when considered in the context of human conditions, and surgeon experience and target nerve location were demonstrated to be significant factors. This research has advanced the case for application of image guided transorbital endoscopy to human therapy.