Virtual Reality Surgical Simulation: Implications for Resection of Intracranial Gliomas

Surgical simulation has the potential to play important roles in surgical training and preoperative planning. The advent of virtual reality (VR) with tactile haptic feedback has revolutionized surgical simulation, creating a novel environment for residents to learn manual skills without compromising patient safety. This concept is particularly relevant in neurosurgical training where the acquired skill set demands performance of technically challenging tasks under pressure and where the consequences of error are significant. The evolution of VR simulation is discussed here within the context of neurosurgical training and its implications for resection of intracranial gliomas. VR holds the promise of providing a useful educational tool for neurosurgical residents to hone their surgical skills and for neurosurgeons to rehearse specific segments of the surgery prior to the actual operation. Also discussed are several important issues related to simulation and simulation-based training that will need to be addressed before widespread adoption of VR simulation as a useful technology.