This study reviews the transformative impact of deep learning (DL) in generating synthetic computed tomography (sCT) images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets, particularly in spine surgery. It explores how DL-driven sCT aims to enhance surgical planning, improve diagnostic capabilities, and potentially integrate with navigation and robotic systems, while also critically evaluating current methodologies, performance metrics, and challenges to widespread clinical adoption. The overarching goal is to reduce patient radiation exposure and streamline clinical workflows by providing CT-equivalent bone visualization from MRI data.
artificial intelligence - deep learning - magnetic resonance imaging - neuronavigation - spine surgery - surgical planning - synthetic CT© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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