This presentation deals with the role of VR in surgical training. The structure of surgical training is discussed and the strengths and weaknesses of the current system are evaluated. The past ten years have seen several changes in training and the implications of these changes are discussed.
The current status of VR in surgical training is that it is a research tool. However, ongoing change in the pattern of surgical education, and increasingly effective simulators have made the prospect of VR as a component of routine training seem more and more likely.
The performance of several VR systems is evaluated, dealing especially with research done in this department.
Three-dimensional computer graphics can add greatly to the understanding of spatial relationships between anatomical structures, information about which can usually only be gathered from 2D radiological data. Using 3D computer animation produces particular benefits in the teaching of functional anatomy, where the traditional teaching media (books) are static and two-dimensional.
A "standard" PC without specific hardware enhancements is now capable of displaying images created using medical visualisation tools which previously required expensive specialised workstations.
The talk describes several EC-funded projects. In some, enhanced techniques have been developed to deliver advanced solutions on the PC, via the Internet, that can be used in medical education and professional updating. Others have concentrated on aspects of biomechanics that have clinical application, and may also influence developments in figure animation.