Development of Abdelwahab-Taha Stereotactic Software for Neurosurgery Surgical Planning
Published in Research Square (Preprint), 2026
Overview
In frame-based stereotaxy, planning software must map image-derived coordinates into the physical coordinate system of the stereotactic frame, tightly coupling software design to hardware geometry. Most existing commercial platforms are proprietary, cost-prohibitive, and hardware-restricted, limiting accessibility in resource-constrained surgical settings.
Abdelwahab–Taha Stereotactic (ATStereo) is a source-available surgical planning toolkit built directly as a 3D Slicer extension and tailored specifically to the geometric configuration of the Abdelwahab stereotactic frame.
Key Features
- 3D Frame Kinematic Reconstruction: Anchored to dual physically accessible reference origins for reliable spatial orientation.
- Real-Time Fiducial Alignment: Interactive landmark detection and CT/MRI coordinate transformation.
- Bilateral Trajectory Planning: Native integration with the DISTAL subcortical atlas for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) targeting and critical structure avoidance.
- Open & Accessible: Built as a free, extensible plugin on top of the open-source 3D Slicer medical imaging platform.
Experimental Validation & Results
| Metric | Result | Context / Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Registration RMSE | 0.40 ± 0.15 mm | Strict < 1.0 mm quality control threshold (range: 0.12–0.94 mm) |
| Workflow Time | 1.86 ± 0.53 min | ~3× faster than BrainStereo; stabilizes in 5–10 trials for novices |
| Electrode Concordance | 0.256 ± 0.072 mm | Validated on clinical PD DBS cohorts (OpenNeuro ds005906) |
| Safety Clearance | 100% | Zero vascular or critical structure violations across planned trajectories |
Links & Resources
- Preprint (Research Square): doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-11053911/v1
- Code & Data Archive (Zenodo): doi:10.5281/zenodo.22542855
Recommended citation: Abdelrahman Taha, Youstina Mohsen, Yousef Mansour, Ahmed Nageeb Taha, Ahmed Abdulwahab. (2026). "Development of Abdelwahab-Taha Stereotactic Software for Neurosurgery Surgical Planning." Research Square. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-11053911/v1.
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