Virtual surgery

By Swetha reddy Rgit Bangalore

Virtual surgery is simulation of surgical procedures virtually. What is virtual? It is an artificial environment created with computer hardware and software and presented a way that it appears and feels like a real environment. Using this concept for a medical surgeries is called virtual surgery.

WHAT IS VIRTUAL SURGERY

Virtual

surgery/virtual reality technique is nothing but simulating surgery procedure, which helps surgeons improve surgery plans as well as practice surgery process on 3D models before actually being carried out on the patient.
Thus

it helps the surgeon to have a clear picture of the outcome of the surgery.

VIRTUAL SURGERY SIMLATION

Generate

a 3D model of the part of the body that undergoes the surgery

Image

can be constructed using MRI and CT scanned images.

Computer

graphics reference model.

The

are

used

to

construct

image is digitally mapped on to the polygonal mesh .

The

image is digitally mapped on to the polygonal mesh representing the respective part of the body
For

the user to interact with the graphics there must be software algorithms that can calculate whereabouts of virtual instrument.

TOUCH SIMULATION
simulation of the surgery by simulating haptic-touch sensation/touch simulation.
Touch

signals need to be refreshed up to once a millisecond.

Virtual

reality designers hope to gain a better understanding of he mechanical behavior of various tissue and organs in the body

For

simulating touch sensation, we have to calculate the forces applied to cut, puncture the various tissues, how they react/behave when they are cut, punctured by surgical instruments.

Importance of Virtual surgery

A recent report by institute of medicine in Washington DC estimates that medical errors may cause 1,00,000 patient deaths each year in US alone.

Vr provides a good tool to experiment the various complications that arise during the surgery
By the use of virtual surgery, minimizing of the medical mistakes can be ensured.

Better training in anatomy and surgical skill, with reduced need for cadavers.
It involves no significant risk. Procedure can be repeated many times. Students can actively participate in real-life events. Effective learning about new techniques of surgeries. Structure can be rotated in three dimensions and viewed in its relationship to any other structure.

VIRTUAL REALITY APPLICATIONS

1.Training

and Education:

Student can repeat the procedures number of times. Detailed study of surgeries. The experience is highly interactive , allowing students to strip away the layers of tissue and muscles to examine each organ separately.

Surgical planning

Image constructions.

Pre-surgical mapping of operating site. In traditional surgery planning, the surgeon calculates various parameters and procedures for surgery from his earlier experience and imagination. Whereas in virtual reality, it reduces errors and plan surgery in most reliable manner. Ex: liver resection on a 3D deformable liver model with the aid of virtual laproscopic tool

3. Image Guidance:
Using MRI,CT images 3D images of organ or tissue can be constructed for surgery. Computer aided surgery-the application of computational algorithm and vr visualization to diagnostic imaging, preoperational surgical planning and intra operative surgical navigation.

4. Telesurgery:
It allows surgeons to operate on people who are physically separated from themselves. This is usually done through a masterslave robot, with imaging supplies through video cameras configured to provide a stereoscopic view

conclusion

The main limitation of virtual reality is the shortcomings In the realism of simulations and human-computer interface Today the simulations are less realistic but the future holds the promise of virtual cadaver that is nearly indistinguishable from a real person. Hope that this concept of virtual turns into a reality .