title: Virtual neurosurgery, training for the future.
abstract: Virtual reality (VR) simulators have been created for various surgical specialties. The common theme is extensive use of graphics, confined spaces, limited functionality and limited tactile feedback. A development team at the University of Nottingham, UK, consisting of computer scientists, mechanical engineers, graphic designers and a neurosurgeon, set out to develop a haptic, e.g. tactile simulator for neurosurgery making use of boundary elements (BE). The relative homogeneity of the brain, allows boundary elements, e.g. 'surface only' rendering, to simulate the brain structure. A boundary element simplifies the computing equations saves computing time, by assuming the properties of the surface equal the properties of the body. A limited audit was done by neurosurgical users confirming the potential of the simulator as a training tool. This paper focuses on the application of the computational method and refers to the underlying mathematical structure. Full references are included regarding the mathematical methodology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, Nottinghm University Hospital, Nottingham, UK. michael.vloeberghs@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vloeberghs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benford
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Adib
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000193:education*; D017748:Time Management; D006113:United Kingdom; D014584:User-Computer Interface