Mixed reality for veterinary medicine: Case study of a canine femoral nerve block

The femoral nerve blockage is a procedure that aims to provide anesthesia to the hip, anterior thigh, and stifle. This procedure presents several challenges when performed in veterinary patients with diverse anatomy and physiology. Successful use of this technique will improve a dog's recovery time after surgery in comparison to the commonly used epidural block. A mixed reality application to guide practitioners in the femoral nerve block procedure was developed in Unity and Visual Studio. A 3D model for use within the application was created from pictures of a cadaver leg using photogrammetry software. The Microsoft HoloLens headset provides the mixed reality hardware platform. This paper presents the workflow used in developing the mixed reality application and custom 3D model, as well as initial results with respect to the utility of the application in guiding an anesthesiologist in the procedure of the femoral nerve block.