Graphic and haptic modelling of the oesophagus for VR-based medical simulation.

Background Medical simulators with vision and haptic feedback have been applied to many medical procedures in recent years, due to their safe and repetitive nature for training. Among the many technical components of the simulators, realistic and interactive organ modelling stands out as a key issue for judging the fidelity of the simulation. This paper describes the modelling of an oesophagus for a real-time laparoscopic surgical simulator. Methods For realistic simulation, organ deformation and tissue cutting in the oesophagus are implemented with geometric organ models segmented from the Visible Human Dataset. The tissue mechanical parameters were obtained from in vivo animal experiments and integrated with graphic and haptic devices into the laparoscopic surgical simulation system inside an abdominal mannequin. Results This platform can be used to demonstrate deformation and incision of the oesophagus by surgical instruments, where the user can haptically interact with the virtual soft tissues and simultaneously see the corresponding organ deformation on the visual display. Conclusions Current laparoscopic surgical training has been transformed from the traditional apprenticeship model to simulation-based methods. The outcome of the model could replace conventional training systems and could be useful in effectively transferring surgical skills to novice surgeons. Copyright  2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.