Video-based 3D reconstruction, laparoscope localization and deformation recovery for abdominal minimally invasive surgery: a survey.

BACKGROUND The intra-operative three-dimensional (3D) structure of tissue organs and laparoscope motion are the basis for many tasks in computer-assisted surgery (CAS), such as safe surgical navigation and registration of pre-operative and intra-operative data for soft tissues. METHODS This article provides a literature review on laparoscopic video-based intra-operative techniques of 3D surface reconstruction, laparoscope localization and tissue deformation recovery for abdominal minimally invasive surgery (MIS). RESULTS This article introduces a classification scheme based on the motions of a laparoscope and the motions of tissues. In each category, comprehensive discussion is provided on the evolution of both classic and state-of-the-art methods. CONCLUSIONS Video-based approaches have many advantages, such as providing intra-operative information without introducing extra hardware to the current surgical platform. However, an extensive discussion on this important topic is still lacking. This survey paper is therefore beneficial for researchers in this field. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.