Comparing a virtual reality head-mounted display to on-screen three-dimensional visualization and two-dimensional computed tomography data for training in decision making in hepatic surgery: a randomized controlled study.

Objective: Evaluation of the benefits of a virtual reality (VR) environment with a head-mounted display (HMD) for decision-making in liver surgery.

Background: Training in liver surgery involves appraising radiologic images and considering the patient's clinical information. Accurate assessment of 2D-tomography images is complex and requires considerable experience, and often the images are divorced from the clinical information.

IMHOTEP: cross-professional evaluation of a three-dimensional virtual reality system for interactive surgical operation planning, tumor board discussion and immersive training for complex liver surgery in a head-mounted display.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) with head-mounted displays (HMD) may improve medical training and patient care by improving display and integration of different types of information. The aim of this study was to evaluate among different healthcare professions the potential of an interactive and immersive VR environment for liver surgery that integrates all relevant patient data from different sources needed for planning and training of procedures.

Methods: 3D-models of the liver, other abdominal organs, vessels, and tumors of a sample patient with multiple hepatic masses were created.

IMHOTEP: virtual reality framework for surgical applications.

Purpose: The data which is available to surgeons before, during and after surgery is steadily increasing in quantity as well as diversity. When planning a patient's treatment, this large amount of information can be difficult to interpret. To aid in processing the information, new methods need to be found to present multimodal patient data, ideally combining textual, imagery, temporal and 3D data in a holistic and context-aware system.