Multimodal Haptic Simulation for Ventriculostomy Training.

Freehand ventriculostomy is a frequent surgical procedure and is among the first ones that junior neurosurgery residents learn. Although training simulators exist, none has been adopted in the clinical routine to train junior residents. This paper focuses on a novel multimodal haptic training simulator that will lift the limitations of current simulators. We thus propose an architecture that integrates (1) visual feedback through augmented MRIs, and (2) a physical mock-up of the patient's skull to (3) active haptic feedback.

A haptic laparoscopic trainer based on affine velocity analysis: engineering and preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: There is a general agreement upon the importance of acquiring laparoscopic skills outside the operation room through simulation-based training. However, high-fidelity simulators are cost-prohibitive and elicit a high cognitive load, while low-fidelity simulators lack effective feedback. This paper describes a low-fidelity simulator bridging the existing gaps with affine velocity as a new assessment variable. Primary validation results are also presented. METHODS: Psycho-motor skills and engineering key features have been considered e.g. haptic feedback and complementary assessment variables. Seventy-seven participants tested the simulator (17 expert surgeons, 12 intermediates, 28 inexperienced interns, and 20 novices). The content validity was tested with a 10-point Likert scale and the discriminative power by comparing the four groups' performance over two sessions. RESULTS: Participants rated the simulator positively, from 7.25 to 7.72 out of 10 (mean, 7.57). Experts and intermediates performed faster with fewer errors (collisions) than inexperienced interns and novices. The affine velocity brought additional differentiations, especially between interns and novices. CONCLUSION: This affordable haptic simulator makes it possible to learn and train laparoscopic techniques. Self-assessment of basic skills was easily performed with slight additional cost compared to low-fidelity simulators. It could be a good trade-off among the products currently used for surgeons' training.

A dual-user teleoperation system with Online Authority Adjustment for haptic training.

This paper introduces a dual-user teleoperation system for hands-on medical training. A shared control based architecture is presented for authority management. In this structure, the combination of control signals is obtained using a dominance factor. Its main improvement is Online Authority Adjustment (OAA): the authority can be adjusted manually/automatically during the training progress. Experimental results are provided to validate the performances of the system.