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Michael J. Bernstein
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For Release: April 29, 1998
Radiologists use Virtual Reality to Plan Surgery
New virtual reality technology is making it possible for doctors to "fly" into a body organ and to practice surgery before actually performing it, as well as plan treatments for a variety of urinary problems, a Boston study shows. The results of the study were presented April 29 at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society held in San Francisco.
This technique uses computer software to create 3-D virtual reality images that provide us with more information that would have otherwise been available, said Dr. Bradford Wood, instructor in abdominal and interventional radiology at Harvard Medical School.
It is especially useful for planning surgery because it allows the doctor to practice procedures before actually performing them, Dr. Woods said. For example, this technique could make removing kidney stones easier by providing the physician with the specific location from which to approach the stone through a small hole in the skin through a scope.
The technique is similar to virtual colonoscopy, he said. It is a non-invasive procedure in which an intravenous contrast agent, such as barium, is given to the patient and then a series of magnetic resonance (MR) or computed tomography (CT) scans are taken. These scans are then put into a computer program that allows the physician to fly through the area or organ. For example, a physician might use it to fly into a patient's bladder to look for tumors or thickening of the bladder wall. Similar 3-D models may help CT scans replace the old method of evaluating the urinary system.
According to Dr. Wood, his team used mostly shaded surface display technology in their study. This technique provides doctors with a quick and easy way to look at the body. It is well suited to everyday practice because it does not require complicated computers or software, Dr. Wood said. The other type of virtual reality imaging available, real volume rendering, requires a supercomputer and is not as practical, he said.
Although this application of this technology is not widely available yet, Dr. Wood says it should be in the next several years.
The American Roentgen Ray Society, with some 12,000 members, is the first and oldest radiological society in the United States. The society is dedicated to the advancement of medicine through the science of radiology.
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