Subject-Based Regional Anaesthesia Simulator Combining Image Processing and Virtual Reality

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper, a novel virtual reality-based simulator for regional anaesthesia is presented. Individual datasets of patients with nerve cords are created from medical scans with the help of advanced segmentation and registration algorithms. Techniques for interaction and immersive visualization are utilized by the simulator to improve training of medical residents.

An intersubject variable regional anesthesia simulator with a virtual patient architecture

“…In an interdisciplinary approach, we therefore started to develop a VR-based simulator [18,34,37] on the basis of different patients' anatomies using both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) datasets of the inguinal region. The system is running in a virtual environment [3] and utilizes stereoscopic rendering (for 3D perception) to enhance the immersion.…”

Haptic Pulse Simulation for Virtual Palpation

“…Our approach is a flexible software-based haptic simulation of the pulse. This allows for different scenarios (i.e., patient data-sets and various body regions) and is also meant to be used as a component in other simulators (e.g., [3]).…”