IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY IN NEURO-ENDOVASCULAR PROCEDURES

Goal
In advancing our capabilities in the realm of virtual reality based simulators, the development of haptic technology has been a rate limiting factor. The living anatomy program seeks to obviate the need for such technology by designing physical objects based on anatomical components that feel realistic to the touch.

Abstract
In a virtual environment, the sense of touch can provide a very valuable enhancement towards the immersive nature of the experience. This is more profound in the case of surgical simulators. This is because a surgeon develops mature palpation skills for differentiating between normal and diseased organs and tissues. In the living anatomy system, the physical/virtual object synchronization is achieved by taking a physical model of the organ and a 3 dimensional model of the surface of the model and linking them in real-time using a position tracking system. For example a physical model of the spleen was created using a platinum-based pourable silicone. This material was chosen as it roughly approximates the tactile qualities of an in vivo spleen. The physical model was then scanned using a laser scanner and a triangle mesh representation of the model is created out of this scanned data. This mesh is texture mapped to look like an intra-operative spleen. A "Flock of Birds" DC magnetic spatial tracking system is used to register the physical object's position onto the virtual object. Students and surgeons will benefit from this new training technique for instruction in organ palpation and visualization. (See Dr. Fineberg's presentation)

VR LAB 809 FURNAS HALL, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, BUFFALO, NY 14260 | (716) 645-2593
VR LAB (C) 2003, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED