Is the automatic construction of physical objects using solid freeform fabrication. Rapid prototyping takes virtual designs from computer aided design (CAD) or animation modeling software, transforms them into thin, virtual, horizontal cross-sections and then creates each cross-section in physical space, one after the next until the model is finished. Medical researchers are using rapid prototyping technology to produce artificial limbs, prosthetic implants, and surgical-planning models of internal body structures faster and more accurately than ever before.
Published in Chapter:
Virtual Reality for Supporting Surgical Planning
Sandra Leal (University Hospitals‘Virgen del Rocío’, Spain), Cristina Suarez (University Hospitals‘Virgen del Rocío’, Spain), J. M. Framinan (University of Seville, Spain), Carlos Luis Parra (University Hospitals‘Virgen del Rocío’, Spain), and Tomás Gómez (University Hospitals ‘Virgen del Rocío’, Spain)
Copyright: © 2010
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-670-4.ch029
Abstract
Nowadays many surgical procedures are still carried out based on the skills and manual dexterity of each surgeon. The complexity and variability of the operations (very dependent on anatomical and functional personal characteristics), the difficulty of sharing and transferring the acquired knowledge, and the problems for surgeons to train in a realistic context make up a very complex scenario. In this sense, Virtual Reality (VR) provide supporting for surgical training and planning. VR permits modeling, simulation and visualization techniques using 3-D, anatomical predictive models, which are based on realistic models of tissues and organs. The usage of these technologies as a support for surgical planning results in a reduction of the uncertainty in the surgical process, a decrease in the risks for the patients, as well as an improvement of the results. This chapter presents a case of study of a Virtual Reality tool for supporting surgical planning, called VirSSPA, that has been already successfully applied in the University Hospital “Virgen del Rocio” (Seville-Spain).