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. 2022 Jan 3;9(1):50.
doi: 10.3390/children9010050.

Developing Virtual Reality Head Mounted Display (HMD) Set-Up for Thoracoscopic Surgery of Complex Congenital Lung MalFormations in Children

Gloria Pelizzo  1   2 , Sara Costanzo  1 , Margherita Roveri  1 , Giulia Lanfranchi  1 , Maurizio Vertemati  2   3 , Paolo Milani  3   4 , Gianvincenzo Zuccotti  2   5 , Simone Cassin  2 , Sebastiano Panfili  2 , Francesco Rizzetto  6   7 , Alessandro Campari  8 , Anna Camporesi  9 , Valeria Calcaterra  5   10
Affiliations

Developing Virtual Reality Head Mounted Display (HMD) Set-Up for Thoracoscopic Surgery of Complex Congenital Lung MalFormations in Children

Gloria Pelizzo et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been adopted in pediatric age for the treatment of congenital lung malformations (CLM). The success of VATS in pediatrics largely depends on the surgeon's skill ability to understand the airways, vascular system and lung parenchyma anatomy in CLM. In the last years, virtual reality (VR) and 3-dimensional (3D) printing of organ models and VR head mounted display (HMD) technologies have been introduced for completion of preoperative planning in adult patients. To date no reports about the use of VR HMD technologies in a pediatric setting are available. The aim of this report is to introduce a VR HMD model in VATS procedure to improve the quality of care in children with CLM. VR HMD set-up for planning thoracoscopic surgery was performed in a series of pediatric patients with diagnosis of CLM. The preoperative VR HMD evaluation allowed a navigation into the malformation with the aim to explore, interact, and make the surgeon more confident and skilled to answer to the traps. A development of surgical simulations models and teaching program dedicated to education and training in pediatric VATS is suitable among the pediatric surgery community. Further studies should demonstrate all the benefits of such technology in pediatric patients submitted to VATS procedure.

Keywords: children; congenital lung malformation; pediatric surgery; thoracoscopic surgery; virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
In patient 1, a very large branch of 6.5 mm in diameter (equal to abdominal aorta), originating from the right side of thoracic descending aorta and giving systemic arterial supply to the malformation was showed.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Malformation in patient 1. Panel (a), anatomical details of sub-subsegmental pulmonary artery branches; Panel (b), the augmented virtual reality model allows the surgeon and all the team to preoperatively interact in the operative room. Panel (c), intraoperative findings: isolation of the inferior right pulmonary vein closed in its dilated portion, 3 venous vessels efferent from the lesion.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Malformation in patient 2. Panel a, Preoperative anatomy of bronchogenic cyst; Panel b, simulation of thoracoscopic approach; Panel b, Virtual Reality HMD set-up is equipped in the theatre just before proceeding surgery; Panel c, thoracoscopic view of the cyst.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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