Virtual reality technologies in medicine

@marika_reka, ASUS Russia blog, Geektimes

Today, the vast majority of new IT technologies are primarily used in the field of entertainment. A vivid example of this is virtual reality. But helmets and glasses that immerse us in other worlds can be useful not only for sophisticated games. For example, virtual reality technologies can be widely used in medicine.

When Microsoft demonstrated a prototype of Project X-Ray last October, gamers around the world were delighted. A user wearing virtual reality (VR) glasses and with a manipulator in his hands fought against robots breaking through walls. Back in the first half of the 1990s, there were repeated attempts to use VR technologies in the gaming industry. And at that time, few people imagined a different scope of application. But today, VR is increasingly finding applications in such fields of activity as scientific research, sports, military developments, education, motor transport and even healthcare.

According to the forecast of the research and consulting company IndustriARC, by 2020 the global market for virtual and augmented reality technologies in healthcare will reach $2.54 billion. They will mainly be used to train doctors and rehabilitate patients.

In April of this year, an operation was performed at the Royal London Hospital to remove a cancerous tumor. This event is notable for the fact that the entire course of the operation was broadcast online thanks to the Google Glass glasses that the surgeon was wearing. 13,000 medical students not only watched almost live (with a minute delay), but also asked the surgeon questions that were displayed as text on the periphery of his field of vision, and he answered them with his voice.

Of course, operations have been removed before, but this is the first time when:

• The audience could watch the whole process through the eyes of a surgeon.
• The operation could be watched almost in real time on any mobile devices, including VR glasses.
• It was possible to remotely ask the surgeon questions and get answers.

By the way, Dr. Shafi Ahmed, who performed the operation, is no stranger to high technology at all, and is now experimenting with 360-degree shooting. In his opinion, this will make it possible to create more effective training videos for surgical students.

But even having the opportunity to freely look around when watching the video, students remain passive observers. Therefore, it is quite logical that VR is also used to create three-dimensional simulations with full immersion, in which future doctors can hone their skills in examining and treating patients. For example, Medical Simulation Corp. developed the Simantha complex, where cardiology surgeons learn to examine the human heart. It uses a full-size mannequin that allows you to inject a contrast agent into the "arteries" and use various tools to perform all kinds of manipulations with the "heart". A person controls all his actions on monitors, where a full simulation of the insides of the heart is displayed. At the same time, the complex removes all kinds of telemetry and accurately reacts to the actions of the doctor, as it happens in life. Individual features of the patient's circulatory system can be simulated, and even a non-standard reaction to various medications.

For the training of medical workers of different specialties, more traditional types of VR technologies are also used – thematic applications based on three-dimensional engines. For example, under the HumanSim brand, programs are produced for teaching the basics of communication with patients, anesthesiology, sedation and ventilation, first aid in military field conditions, etc. The HumanSim engine can also be used to create its own medical simulations.

Perhaps, it is in surgery that VR technologies are most widely used. It is understandable – it is difficult to find another field of medicine in which visualization and feedback on the actions of a doctor plays an even more important role.

As in any other profession, in surgery, skill is acquired with experience. No dummies can compare in terms of credibility with a high-quality virtual simulator. And when studying in the anatomical room, the "working material" does not always react to students' mistakes in the same way as a living person, for example, if a blood vessel is accidentally touched. And you can't get enough of all the students. And virtual simulators do not suffer from a shortage of samples and virtual bodies.

For example, at Stanford University, software and hardware complexes with a high degree of detail of various organs and parts of the human body are being developed and used, providing tactile feedback. This allows the surgeon to navigate the situation during training not only visually, but also tactilely.

Working with digital models of human organs, in a virtual environment that copies the present, already established surgeons train to perform subtle and complex procedures. This helps to increase the accuracy of the doctor's actions, reduce the likelihood of errors and postoperative complications. In addition, sometimes treatment requires the use of quite rare types of intervention, which many ordinary doctors simply have not encountered. And the lack of real experience can be partially compensated on virtual simulators.

By the way, VR also allows doctors using robosurgical installations – telechurgeons and microsurgeons to train.

It is even somewhat easier for them in this regard, because the display is an integral working tool of these specialists. According to a number of studies, VR simulators significantly increase the effectiveness of doctors specializing in robosurgery.

All for the benefit of patients

VR technologies are used in healthcare not only for training doctors. Rehabilitation of patients is an important stage on the way to recovery or adaptation. For example, many patients who have lost limbs as a result of injury or surgery face phantom pain syndrome. This can be expressed in a burning sensation, itching, tingling and other forms. Until recently, there were no sufficiently effective ways to get rid of phantom pains. At Chalmers University of Technology (Chalmers University of Technology), Sweden, a patient with an amputated arm was connected to a stump with sensors that took signals from contracting muscles, and a computer translated them into the movements of a virtual hand displayed in VR glasses. Moreover, the hand did not just move, the patient could use it to drive a virtual car. That is, the brain received at least visual confirmation that the limb it is trying to control exists and responds to signals. As the patient noted, the intensity of pain after that noticeably decreased, and they began to occur less frequently. True, this was not a full-fledged clinical study on a fairly representative sample, but still the result is encouraging.

Another interesting example of the use of VR is therapy of patients with neurophysiological disorders. For example, the MindMaze installation tracks a person's movements and displays them on the display. According to the developers, trying to complete the proposed tasks, the brain gradually restores and rebuilds the disrupted neural connections.

Our consciousness is an incredibly powerful tool that can completely change our perception of ourselves, our body and the world around us. Unfortunately, we are very bad at managing this tool. But there are also positive examples. Patients with extensive burns of the body suffer from severe pain, which cannot be completely removed by medication.

A virtual SnowWorld game was developed especially for them. The action takes place in an icy world, snowmen and penguins act as enemies, and all weapons are made of ice and snow. According to research results, thanks to this game, burn patients spend three times less time thinking about the pain of burns: 22% of the time instead of 76%.

VR is also used for the treatment of psychological disorders. For example, numerous cases of weakening of phobias have been noted when exposure therapy is used in combination with VR glasses. For example, a person with arachnophobia is shown virtual spiders. First at a distance, then you can approach them, and even interact with spiders.

And those suffering from acrophobia are sent to walk on the roofs of virtual buildings, with a gradual increase in the number of floors. There are applications for the prevention of fear of flying, driving a car and a number of other phobias.

Virtual simulators of military operations can serve not only to entertain and train soldiers, but also to alleviate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. This is achieved by playing out various scenarios and traumatic events that caused this mental disorder, with parallel work with a psychologist. Tracking of the patient's eye movements is often used, which helps to more accurately identify traumatic events for subsequent testing with a doctor. But so far, there are conflicting opinions among specialists about the effectiveness of using VR for the treatment of PTSD.

Finally, VR technologies are used for the social adaptation of autistic people. This disorder manifests itself in different ways, and in many cases, autistic people have a hard time when they are faced with the rules and peculiarities of human society and the world around them. And with the help of VR, you can painlessly beat various situations, showing how to behave better in certain situations.

In general, VR technologies are taking only the first steps in healthcare. The availability and variety of devices and software is growing, and it is possible to predict with sufficient confidence that new technologies will be increasingly used in the training of doctors. It is possible that new developments will appear at the intersection of VR, big data and artificial intelligence. For example, systems that will analyze the current situation in real time and develop visual recommendations and tips for the doctor, facilitating diagnosis and treatment, reducing the likelihood of medical errors.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  15.06.2016