Virtual Reality Exploration and Planning for Precision Colorectal Surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Medical Imaging
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Medical software enables 3D reconstruction of patient anatomy from Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) images, creating virtual clones.
• These virtual models facilitate preoperative surgical exploration and planning through interactive manipulation and selective organ display.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present preliminary cases demonstrating the potential utility of virtual reality (VR) in colorectal surgery.
• To explore VR's application in planning and executing procedures for diverticular disease and colonic neoplasms.

Main Methods:

• A single-center feasibility study involving three patients undergoing laparoscopic hemicolectomy (two for diverticular disease, one for cancer).
• Three-dimensional virtual models were generated from preoperative CT scans for virtual exploration and planning.
• Intraoperative use of a VR model displayed on a tablet for real-time surgical team reference.

Main Results:

• VR model accurately identified a rare vascular anomaly (abnormal left colic artery origin) missed on initial CT interpretation.
• This precise identification of vascular variants contributed to a safe and adequate surgical procedure.
• In other cases, the VR model facilitated accurate estimation of vascular anatomy, providing key landmarks for safer dissection.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality offers enhanced understanding of anatomical details, both preoperatively and intraoperatively.
• This improved comprehension may contribute to increased safety in colorectal surgery.
• Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to definitively establish VR's efficacy.