Virtual Patient
Surgical operations on cadavers are a key part of any medical training before the surgeon starts operating on real patients. However, this training phase has significant drawbacks that are related to cost and human tissue reactions. To find cadavers for the training cases and then to restore them is a difficult and costly procedure. In addition, dead tissues do not have the features of a living body since they are usually harder, and arteries or nerves do not react. A Spanish research team has developed a virtual reality surgery training system (VRSTS) that simulates the responses of the human body providing an artificial environment where a surgeon can perform surgical operations under almost real conditions. The system provides tactile feedback for training motor skills and uses advanced mechanical models for realistic simulation of the deformation of the organs. In addition, it can replicate the anatomy of any patient by inserting CT or MRI images. This facility in combination with the capability of reproducing various scenarios provides an unlimited number of potential surgical cases. Finally, the system prints a report that evaluates the quality of the intervention. VRSTS is based on comprehensive software algorithms that run on standard PCs and by utilising advanced technological means provides an excellent training tool for surgeons, which not only reduces the training cost but can also lead to the acquisition of better surgical skills.
