BACKGROUND: The shift from open to minimally invasive procedures with growing complexity has increased the demand for advanced intraoperative medical technologies. The hybrid operating room (OR) combines the functionality of a standard OR with fixed advanced imaging systems to facilitate minimally invasive image-guided procedures.
OBJECTIVE: This systematic scoping review provides an overview of the use of the hybrid OR over the years, and reports on the encountered advantages and challenges.
METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases for studies that described procedures being performed with the aid of 3D imaging in the hybrid OR.
RESULTS: The search identified 123 studies that described 44 distinct procedures, divided over nine clinical disciplines. The number of studies increased from two in 2010 to 15 in the first five months of 2020. Ninety-nine (80%) of the studies described how 3D imaging was performed in the hybrid OR; 95 (96%) used cone-beam CT; four (4%) used multi-detector CT. Advantages and challenges of the hybrid OR were described in 94 (76%) and 34 (35%) studies, respectively. The most frequently reported advantage of using a hybrid OR is the achievement of more accurate treatment results, whereas elongation of the procedure time is the most important challenge, followed by an increase in radiation dose.
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the growing number of clinical disciplines that uses the hybrid OR shows its wide functionality. To optimize its use, future comparative studies should be conducted to investigate which procedures really benefit from being performed in the hybrid OR.
