# Three-Dimensional Sonification as a Surgical Guidance Tool

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.09070 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.09070/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Oct 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [SOMson -- Sonification of Multidimensional Data in Kohonen Maps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.00016/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Interactive Sonification is a well-known guidance method in navigation tasks. Researchers have repeatedly suggested the use of interactive sonification in neuronavigation and image-guided surgery. The hope is to reduce clinicians' cognitive load through a relief of the visual channel, while preserving the precision provided through image guidance. In this paper, we present a surgical use case, simulating a craniotomy preparation with a skull phantom. Through auditory, visual, and audiovisual guidance, non-clinicians successfully find targets on a skull that provides hardly any visual or haptic landmarks. The results show that interactive sonification enables novice users to navigate through three-dimensional space with a high precision. The precision along the depth axis is highest in the audiovisual guidance mode, but adding audio leads to higher durations and longer motion trajectories.