Virtual Surgery for new surgeons
September 24, 2009 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Computers, Exposed!, Technology
Here’s something you might not want to know. Most surgeons learn how to perform surgery on real live patients. Sure, they start off as students practicing on cadavers but mostly, they learn by performing actual surgical procedures under the guidance of senior surgeons.
However, researchers are looking to technology to change this learning pattern and have created virtual patient simulators for residents to practice on before using a scalpel on real patients.
Clinical trials are currently being held at the Stanford University School of Medicine to test the effectiveness of this virtual reality training.
They are integrating data from patient’s pre-op CT scans into a virtual patient simulator. The simulator consists of a endoscopic camera and mannequin head that is attached to a touch-feedback device. As the ‘surgeon’ manipulates the endoscope through the nose of the ‘patient’, he or she can watch what’s happening on the computer screen about the ‘patient’.
The computer is programmed to determine just how much resistance the ‘surgeon’ needs to apply to the endoscope throughout it’s journey through the sinus cavity.
No blood, no gore, and more importantly, no real patient to practice on.
Sounds promising.
