Online estimation of laser incision depth for transoral microsurgery: approach and preliminary evaluation.BACKGROUND
 The use of lasers in transoral surgery enables precise tissue incision with minimal adverse effects on surrounding structures.  Nonetheless, the lack of haptic feedback during laser cutting impairs the surgeon's perception of the incision depth, potentially leading to undesired tissue damage.


 This paper presents a novel approach, based on statistical regression analysis, to estimate the laser incision depth in soft tissue.  User trials were conducted in a laser surgery set-up, to verify the effectiveness of online estimation of incision depth in supporting precise tissue cutting.


 The proposed approach was successful in producing estimations of laser cutting depth in ex vivo muscle tissue.  Providing depth estimation during laser cutting allows users to perform more precise incisions.
laser
The use of lasers in transoral surgery enables precise tissue incision with minimal adverse effects on surrounding structures.  User trials were conducted in a laser surgery set-up, to verify the effectiveness of online estimation of incision depth in supporting precise tissue cutting.



lasers
User trials were conducted in a laser surgery set-up, to verify the effectiveness of online estimation of incision depth in supporting precise tissue cutting.



laser surgery set-up