title: Virtual reality enhanced surgical conference system.
abstract: We present our ongoing work on an enhanced surgical conference system with a technology of virtual reality (VR). We reported on a surgical simulation support system by using a technology of virtual reality last year. In the present time, while using our VR simulation system, we realized that many surgeons and nurses needed to see both a solid real image and a virtual image of the surgical operation at the same time. According to this reason we added a solid video system to our previous VR simulation system. The new system can display both real and virtual images on 100 inch wide screen and a console monitor of Onyx computer. The doctors can see both images with shutter glasses on the screen or console. We can now simulate various cancer surgery while watching the real solid surgical picture. We expect our enhanced surgical conference system to be beneficial for surgeons and nurses with limited experience to familiarize surgical procedures. The system could be also employed in planning a surgical procedure and educating medical staffs. Here we discuss about the aim of the system, current implementation, its limitations and its future directions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wakao
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohmatsu
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003199:Computer Systems; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019114:Remote Consultation; D013685:Telecommunications; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation*