title: ENT endoscopic surgical training simulator.
abstract: This paper describes work in progress on the design and development of a prototype simulator for minimally invasive otolaryngology surgical training. The anatomy of the paranasal sinuses is geometrically complex and dangerously close to the brain and orbits, making this procedure challenging to practice and difficult to learn. We discuss the potential role of computer simulation to enhance and accelerate acquisition of surgical skills. The design goals of the prototype include high-fidelity simulation of the endoscopic imagery and haptic cues of surgical palpation. The prototype enables endoscopic navigation and limited interactive tissue manipulation and dissection tasks on a virtual patient using realistic replicas of surgical tools. We present an overview of the system architecture with a discussion of the technological challenges, design issues and current status of the efforts.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma WA, USA.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Edmond
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heskamp
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sluis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stredney
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sessanna
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wiet
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yagel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weghorst
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oppenheimer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000601:surgery*; D014584:User-Computer Interface