Virtual Reality Surgery
Virtual reality (VR) surgery is the way in which surgeons of tomorrow will be taught. VR surgery involves immersion into a 3D world where the patient can be touched and operated on. The Department of Otolaryngology has developed a virtual reality surgical environment for ear surgery, which has been commercialised by the Australian company, Medic Vision, and was the recipient of the University's Knowledge Transfer Award for 2008. We are involved in exciting research that will determine how best to train surgeons in VR, and provide real-time feedback to trainees.
Background
The training of future surgeons is a critically important issue for surgery. Traditionally most surgery was learned through textbooks, videos and practising in the operating room. With the aging population, increased expectations from the wider community and the need for standardized training, there are real incentives to find more efficient ways to train surgeons. Virtual reality simulation has been used extensively in the aviation industry for the past fifty years with great success. The University of Melbourne and CSIRO have developed a virtual reality surgical simulator that allows the user to interact with a 3D model of the temporal bone (one of the skull bones behind the ear) with haptic devices. These devices provide force-feedback and the sensation of "touch" to the user. This will allow surgical trainees the ability to manipulate a computer generated 3D model to better learn anatomy, as well as practice surgical procedures on the model in a virtual environment with sight, sound and feel. The simulator therefore allows a multimodal engagement of sensory input to improve retention of knowledge and skills. This simulator may address some of the issues raised above by moving the acquisition of basic skills out of the very expensive "classroom" of an operating theatre to a virtual reality environment. In this environment, there is no risk to the patients, no costly operating room time and no undue stress placed on the trainee to perform. It is hoped that using this emerging technology of virtual reality surgical simulator, we could augment and improve the current training system.
This research project is a multidisciplinary collaboration of computer engineering, otolaryngology, cognitive psychology and surgical education. It has not only been used in research but has now attracted commercial interest by Medicvision who has commercialized it.
Research Aims
- Ascertain the specific role of the simulator in surgical training
- Develop software to help teach and assess training in temporal bone surgery
- Establish the transfer of skills from the virtual reality simulator onto cadaver dissection lab and ultimately to the operating room
- Extend the application of the virtual reality simulator to include more advanced surgery such as modified radical canal wall down mastoidectomy and cochlear implantation
- Develop automated segmentation and production of temporal bone models to allow for patient specific practice.
Staff
- Professor Stephen O'Leary
- Yi Chen Zhao (PhD student)
Collaborators
- Dr. Richard Hall (MUVES - Melbourne University Virtual Environment for Simulation)
- Mr. Hemang Rathod (MUVES - Melbourne University Virtual Environment for Simulation)
- Dr. Gregor Kenndy (Head, Biomedical Multimedia Unit, University of Melbourne)
Funding
- The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation
