Immersive Virtual Reality for Visualization of Abdominal CT

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Virtual Reality
• Surgical Planning

Background:

• Traditional Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) display medical images as 2D slices, limiting spatial understanding.
• Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) offer high-fidelity 3D interactions but are underutilized in clinical settings.
• Ventral hernias affect nearly half a million people annually in the US, with repair being a common global surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the application of IVEs for visualizing abdominal computed tomography (CT) data in ventral hernia patients.
• To assess the potential of IVEs to improve communication regarding hernia severity and impact on quality of life.
• To investigate the integration of PACS data with IVEs for enhanced surgical planning and medical education.

Main Methods:

• Developed an immersive virtual environment integrating abdominal CT imaging data.
• Utilized a stereoscopic head-mounted display and data glove for user interaction with 3D models.
• Enabled surgeons and patients to view and interact with virtual body scans at true scale.

Main Results:

• The IVE allows users to perceive the relationship between anatomical structures and medical imaging data more intuitively.
• The system facilitates a deeper understanding of hernia complexity by visualizing the entire abdomen.
• Demonstrated close integration of PACS-based CT data with immersive virtual environments.

Conclusions:

• Immersive virtual environments show significant potential for improving patient communication and operative planning for ventral hernias.
• This technology can enhance medical education by providing realistic 3D anatomical and pathological visualizations.
• Further research is needed to optimize IVE interfaces for clinical applications in surgery.