The study included five patients who were selected for microwave ablation of their liver tumors. For safety during this IRB-approved study, the gold standard of ultrasound was used for primary clinical decision making and probe guidance, with direct comparison to holographic guidance. Following ablation, images and video from post-procedural sonography, cone beam and multi-detector row CT, and HoloLens recordings were evaluated. In all five cases, intra-procedural holographic guidance was in agreement with the standard ultrasound-based guidance. Post-procedural imaging showed adequate tumor ablation, and no patients experienced tumor recurrence at the three-month follow-up. In this early phase pilot study, the authors anecdotally observed that the speed of tumor localization was faster with holographic guidance, and that their confidence in optimal ablation and critical structure avoidance was improved over standard imaging guidance. They are further attempting to quantify these findings as they continue to enroll patients in the study.

Beyond its use during treatments, interventional radiologists also see value in using this tool for clinicians' planning purposes and for improving patient engagement and understanding of the condition and treatment.


"This technique can be used intra-procedurally to check the accuracy and quality of the treatment, as well as pre-procedurally to engage with the patient in their own care," said Charles Martin, III, MD, FSIR, an interventional radiologist at Cleveland Clinic who is the principal investigator of the IRB and the senior author of the study. "We can change 2D images into holograms of a patient's distinct anatomy so that both the physician and the patient get a better understanding of the tumor and treatment."

Researchers continue to test this technology for ablations in the abdominal area with plans to expand to other types of procedures and in other areas of the body. The technology has only been tested for feasibility and therefore cannot yet be used as a standalone method for delivering a treatment.

Additional information about the clinical trial is available at ClinicalTrials.gov, using the identifier NCT03500757. This work was funded through internal enterprise grants from Cleveland Clinic, as well as the Ohio-based biotechnology startup, MediView.

Abstract 297: True 3D holographic visualization for performance of percutaneous thermal ablation of solid liver tumors (3D-HPA): An update on in-human evaluation. G. Gadodia; J. Yanof; K. West; S. Al-Nimer; A. Hanlon; C. Weunski; C Martin; Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH.

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