title: Immersive Virtual Reality for Visualization of Abdominal CT.
abstract: Immersive virtual environments use a stereoscopic head-mounted display and data glove to create high fidelity virtual experiences in which users can interact with three-dimensional models and perceive relationships at their true scale. This stands in stark contrast to traditional PACS-based infrastructure in which images are viewed as stacks of two-dimensional slices, or, at best, disembodied renderings. Although there has substantial innovation in immersive virtual environments for entertainment and consumer media, these technologies have not been widely applied in clinical applications. Here, we consider potential applications of immersive virtual environments for ventral hernia patients with abdominal computed tomography imaging data. Nearly a half million ventral hernias occur in the United States each year, and hernia repair is the most commonly performed general surgery operation worldwide. A significant problem in these conditions is communicating the urgency, degree of severity, and impact of a hernia (and potential repair) on patient quality of life. Hernias are defined by ruptures in the abdominal wall (i.e., the absence of healthy tissues) rather than a growth (e.g., cancer); therefore, understanding a hernia necessitates understanding the entire abdomen. Our environment allows surgeons and patients to view body scans at scale and interact with these virtual models using a data glove. This visualization and interaction allows users to perceive the relationship between physical structures and medical imaging data. The system provides close integration of PACS-based CT data with immersive virtual environments and creates opportunities to study and optimize interfaces for patient communication, operative planning, and medical education.
authors.affiliation: Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Qiufeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Zhoubing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Rebeccah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baucom
authors.affiliation: General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poulose
authors.affiliation: Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Bennett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Landman
authors.affiliation: Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA 37235.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bodenheimer
keywords: Medical visualization; head-mounted displays; immersive virtual reality; ventral hernia