NousNav: A low-cost neuronavigation system for deployment in lower-resource settings

Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg. 2022 Sep;17(9):1745-1750. doi: 10.1007/s11548-022-02644-w. Epub 2022 May 5.

Abstract

Purpose: NousNav is a complete low-cost neuronavigation system that aims to democratize access to higher-quality healthcare in lower-resource settings. NousNav's goal is to provide a model for local actors to be able to reproduce, build and operate a fully functional neuronavigation system at an affordable cost.

Methods: NousNav is entirely open source and relies on low-cost off-the-shelf components, which makes it easy to reproduce and deploy in any region. NousNav's software is also specifically devised with the low-resource setting in mind.

Results: It offers means for intuitive intraoperative control. The designed interface is also clean and simple. This allows for easy intraoperative use by either the practicing clinician or a nurse. It thus alleviates the need for a dedicated technician for operation.

Conclusion: A prototype implementation of the design was built. Hardware and algorithms were designed for robustness, ruggedness, modularity, to be standalone and data-agnostic. The built prototype demonstrates feasibility of the objectives.

Keywords: Low-cost; Neuronavigation; Neurosurgery.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Humans
  • Neuronavigation*
  • Software*