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Design and Implementation of Augmented Reality Environment for Complex Anatomy Training: Inguinal Canal Case Study

The inguinal canal region is broadly perceived in medical education as an explicitly arduous section of the human body. The main difficulty towards the understanding this anatomical region is due to the complexity of the layered structure of muscles and fascias involved in the creation of the canal forming the passage for the spermatic cord. Contemporary educational methods for teaching complex anatomical regions are considered inadequate. Hence it is impossible for the trainee to investigate in depth the layered structures, their spatial relations and visit these complex structures from different angles which would enlighten their perception and understanding. This paper discusses the building of lower abdominal region dataset, the development of the HCI interface involving haptics and location based sound embedded in a prototype immersive system supporting dynamic simulation. Subsequently a user-trial experiment of the VR system was conducted in order to evaluate the response from medical trainees. Feedback from laparoscopic surgeons was also derived in order to contrast it with the expectations and results of the trainees and their performance using the VR system. Previous papers published: Augmented Reality Anatomy Training for Inguinal Canal Region, 20th Anniversary International Conference on Systems Research, Informatics and Cybernetics, July 24 – 30, 2008 in Baden-Baden, Germany. Anderson (principal investigator) on ‘The Definitive Human’ project funded (£650,000) by The Royal College of Physcians and Surgeons,was invited to present RCPSG MacEwan Lecture at the International 2009 Surgical Congress of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, SECC Glasgow. The Lecture ‘Developing Interactive Anatomy’ showcased the latest developments in surgical training of the inguinal canal and presented workflow results in ultra high resolution laser scanning of cadaveric material involved in developing the VR 3D anatomical structures.