What Is Virtual Surgery?

Virtual surgery simulation system is a typical application of virtual reality technology in the medical field. Virtual surgery is a surgical system based on medical image data, using computer graphics to reconstruct a virtual human soft tissue model, simulating a virtual medical environment, and interacting with it using tactile interactive devices. The virtual surgery system provides doctors with a virtual 3D environment and an interactive operation platform to realistically simulate the entire process of clinical surgery. Compared with traditional surgery teaching, virtual surgery has the advantages of non-invasiveness, repeatability and designability. However, most of the research in this field is limited to the visualization stage of simulation. Due to the lack of tactile effects, the surgeries performed by doctors in a virtual environment are very different from the clinical environment.

Chinese name: Virtual surgery
Foreign name: Virtual Surgery-VS

Brief introduction: Is a collection of medicine, biomechanics, mechanics,
Research Background: Create a virtual environment to plan for before surgery
Research Status: Interactive virtual simulation system.

Virtual Surgery Modeling Method

Biological soft tissue is an important object in virtual surgery. Its deformation models include: non-physical model, mass-spring model, geometric deformation model and finite element model. Among them, the mass-spring model and finite element model are the models most commonly used in soft tissue mechanics modeling.

Virtual surgery extended reading

[1] Liu Xiaoyu. Mechanical Modeling and Simulation of Corneal Transplantation and Suturing. Master Degree Thesis of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008

[2] Sarah F, Gibson F. 3D Chain Mail: a fast algorithm for deforming volumetric objects. Proceedings of the Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics, 1997: 149-154

[3] Zuo Li, Li Jintao, Wang Zhaoqi. Real-time Human Muscle Deformation Based on Axis Deformation Technology. CAAI2002 Academic Conference on Robot Perception and Virtual Reality, 2002

[4] Zhang Meichao, Zhao Weidong, Yuan Lin et al. Finite element analysis of the digital knee joint of Chinese male No.1. Journal of the First Military Medical University, 2003, 23 (6): 527

[5] Qian Xihan, Wang Chenghuan. Multi-agent design of personalized artificial hip joints. Papers on the seminar of biotribology and artificial joints, 2000

[6] Zhao Chenglong. Research on Soft Tissue Modeling and Force Feedback Algorithm in Virtual Surgery. Master Degree Thesis of Yanshan University, 2013

Introduction to Virtual Surgery

The development of modern science and technology increasingly reflects the intersection and penetration of multiple disciplines. Virtual Surgery-VS, as a developing research direction, is a collection of medicine, biomechanics, mechanics, materials science, computer graphics, computer vision, mathematical analysis, mechanical mechanics, materials science, robotics and many other disciplines. A new cross-cutting research area. Its purpose is to use computer technology (mainly computer graphics and virtual reality) to simulate and guide the various processes involved in medical surgery. The time period includes pre-operation, intra-operation and post-operation. There are surgical plan formulation, surgical rehearsal exercises, surgical teaching, surgical skills training, intraoperative guided surgery, postoperative rehabilitation, etc.

The research direction of virtual surgery is currently being gradually formed. Some related research directions are: Medical Visualization, Medical augmented Reality, Medical robots, Surgery Simulation, and images. Image Guided Surgery, Computer Aided Surgery, Computer Assisted Surgery, etc. We believe that the use of the term Virtual Surgery can fully embody the role of Virtual Reality as computer graphics in medical treatment, fully embodying human-computer interaction and realism. Foreign countries also call this direction Virtual Operating Room or Medical Virtual Reality.

Virtual surgery is an emerging discipline that uses various medical image data and uses virtual reality technology to establish a simulated environment in a computer. Doctors use the information in the virtual environment to perform surgery planning, training, and to guide the operation during the actual surgery.

Virtual Surgery Research Background

The application of the virtual surgery system in medicine originated from the medical staff's visualization needs of complex three-dimensional medical anatomy data, and then developed to be able to operate the reconstructed data in real time to establish a virtual environment that can be used for surgery and pre-operative planning. In terms of surgery teaching and simulation training, virtual surgery systems have promising application prospects.

The traditional surgical procedure has the disadvantages of high risk, large patient suffering, and unsatisfactory postoperative results. The surgical effect is greatly affected by the personal level of the doctor. Especially in recent years, surgical plastic surgery has become a hot spot, such as cranioplasty, nasal bridge plastic surgery, and sacral plastic surgery. Using the virtual surgery system, doctors can practice before performing complex surgery on patients, import patient images obtained through imaging equipment into the simulation system, and doctors can make corresponding plans for actual surgery or make more accurate preliminary measurements of lesions and defects And estimates to anticipate the complexity of the operation. The use of augmented reality technology can make medical workers immersed in virtual scenes, can perceive and learn the actual operation of various operations through sight, hearing, and touch, and experience and learn how to deal with the actual situation in clinical surgery. This saves the cost and time of training medical personnel, greatly reduces the risk of surgery for unskilled personnel, and has special significance for improving the efficiency and quality of medical education and training and improving the imbalanced development of medical surgery.

Research Status of Virtual Surgery

With the development of technology, the original computer-assisted surgery system has been developed to support planning for different surgical operations, from the original navigation and observation form, to an operable and interactive virtual simulation system. Japan, Europe and the United States have been in a leading position in the field of virtual surgery simulation. As early as 1986, Japan, the United States, and Switzerland developed navigation devices consisting of interactive CT machines at about the same time, which was the original computer-assisted surgery system. In addition to well-known research institutions abroad such as Stanford University and the Houston National Medical Center, there are very mature virtual surgical instrument technology and virtual microscope technology. At present, many companies are also starting to develop formed surgical simulation systems. In addition, some research institutions and commercial companies have also developed many auxiliary software products. Among them, the more famous ones are 3DSlicer developed by David T. Gering of MIT and a series of software products developed by Materialise in Belgium. In a system environment, registration, semi-automatic segmentation, surface model generation, 3D visualization, and quantitative analysis can be achieved, and preoperative surgical planning and interoperative surgical navigation can be achieved and obtained in the clinic

Successfully applied.

Domestic research on computer-assisted surgery systems is mainly concentrated in scientific research institutions and research institutes. For example, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have established medical imaging related laboratories and research institutes. Most research directions focus on 3D simulation, 3D rendering, and soft tissue simulation. ^[1]

The main purpose of virtual surgery

Surgical plan can use image data to help doctors to formulate a surgical plan reasonably and quantitatively. For selecting the best surgical path, reducing surgical damage, reducing damage to adjacent tissues, improving the accuracy of tumor localization, performing complex surgical operations and increasing the success rate of surgery Waiting is of great significance. Virtual surgery system can preview the whole process of surgery in order to detect problems in surgery in advance. The virtual surgery system enables doctors to rely on the medical image information obtained before the operation to build a three-dimensional model, design the surgical process, the position of the incision, and the angle in the virtual environment established by the computer to improve the success rate of the surgery.

80% of the operating errors in surgical teaching and training are caused by human factors, so surgical training is extremely important. Doctors can observe expert surgical procedures on the virtual surgery system, and can repeat internships. Virtual surgery shortens the training time and reduces the need for expensive subjects. Because the virtual surgery system can provide the operator with a highly realistic and immersive training environment, the force feedback rendering algorithm can create a good sense of presence, so the training process is almost the same as the real situation, especially in actual surgery. Feel. The computer can also give an evaluation of a surgical exercise. Surgery in a virtual environment will not cause serious accidents, which will improve the doctor's ability to collaborate.

Intraoperative navigation and intraoperative monitoring interventions are performed under the guidance of images under fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and MR during the operation. The surgical navigation of virtual surgery does not require positioning and matching of the computer-processed three-dimensional model with the actual operation in the interventional environment, so that the images seen by the doctor have both actual images and superimposed graphics, which belongs to computer augmented reality. If a second imaging method, such as an endoscope, is used for the operation, the real-time observed image is matched with the preoperative CT or MRI, and the two coordinate systems are aligned and displayed as graphics to guide the doctor to perform the operation.