Virtual reality-based preoperative planning for optimized trocar placement in thoracic surgery: A preliminary study

Area of Science:

• Thoracic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a key technique for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.
• Optimal trocar placement is crucial for VATS effectiveness, yet often relies on surgeon experience.
• Existing methods may lead to suboptimal surgical plans, increasing operative time and surgeon fatigue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the first virtual reality (VR)-based pre-operative planning tool for VATS.
• To optimize trocar placement by integrating established surgical principles with tailored data visualization and interaction designs.
• To enhance surgical planning efficiency and reduce surgeon fatigue in VATS procedures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a VR pre-operative planning system for VATS trocar placement.
• Incorporation of established principles like the Baseball Diamond Principle (BDP) and Triangle Target Principle (TTP).
• Preliminary study demonstrating the system's application in right upper lung lobectomy and a user study.

Main Results:

• The VR system provides tailored data visualization and interaction for efficient trocar placement.
• Demonstrated application in a common procedure (right upper lung lobectomy) using three trocars.
• Preliminary user feedback indicates the system is efficient, robust, and user-friendly for planning optimal trocar placement.

Conclusions:

• The VR-based planning tool shows significant promise for optimizing VATS trocar placement in clinical practice.
• The system offers a user-friendly and efficient approach to pre-operative planning for thoracic surgeons.
• This VR system provides valuable insights for developing future surgical simulation tools.