Planning Nerve Surgery in 3D
NT-Visual is a 3D software tool for nerve surgeons to plan their surgery. The program shows the anatomy of the nerves of the brachial plexus. An info mode provides information about the selected nerve, such as axon number, fascicular structure, origin, branches, destination, innervated muscles and skin areas. The lesion pattern can be individually marked directly on the nerve, according to incidence of the injury. Subsequently the programm displays which distal nerves are affected by the lesion. The surgery can now be planned, by using a graft or nerve transfer.
In the last decades, various novel nerve transfer strategies have been described, giving nerve surgeons more possibilities than ever before. Individualised surgical concepts require detailed knowledge of lesion pattern and suitable approaches. The goal of our project is to develop a 3D software, that helps clinicians get an overview of complex nerve lesions in the upper extremity, and thereby guide reconstructive decisions.