ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of AR in image-guided surgery visualization depends on its ability to provide the right information at the right time; to provide an unambiguous and perceptually sound representation of the preoperative plans, guidance information, and anatomy of the patient; and to ensure the surgeon is not distracted by the visualization. In this chapter, we argue that to reach these goals, it is necessary to systematically consider user interaction in the design of new surgical AR methods. We separate interaction methods for medical AR into three categories, according to the goal of the interaction: control of the navigation system, simplification of a surgical task, and enhanced perception of navigation information. For each of the categories, we analyze the interrelationship between interaction and visualization in the light of human perception. We review the literature of interactive AR techniques applied to image-guided surgery before proposing avenues for future research based on perception issues that have not been addressed in the surgical AR literature.
