A Virtual Reality Simulator to Train Surgeons for Skull-Base Procedures
upstart writes:
A virtual reality simulator to train surgeons for skull-base procedures:
"The process of drilling requires surgeons to remove minimal amounts of bone while ensuring that important structures (such as nerves and vessels) housed within the bone are not harmed," Adnan Munawar, one of the researchers who developed the system, told TechXplore. "Therefore, skull base surgeries require high skill, absolute precision, and sub-millimeter accuracy. Achieving these surgical skills requires diligent training to ensure the safety of patients."
Currently, most resident surgeons are trained to complete skull base surgeries and other procedures on cadavers or on live people under the supervision of experienced doctors. However, realistic computer simulations and virtual environments could significantly enhance the training of surgeons, offering a cost-effective, safe and reproducible alternative to traditional training methods.
In addition to allowing surgeons to practice their skills in a safe and realistic setting, simulation tools enable the collection of valuable data that would otherwise be harder to attain. This includes optimal trajectories for surgical tools, the forces that are imparted during a procedure, or the position of cameras/endoscopes.
Journal Reference:
Adnan Munawar, Zhaoshuo Li, Punit Kunjam, et al. Virtual reality for synergistic surgical training and data generation, Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization (DOI: 10.1080/21681163.2021.1999331)
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