Personalized planning and training system for brachytherapy based on virtual reality

Abstract

This paper presents a virtual planning and training system for brachytherapy based on virtual reality (VR). The purpose of this system is to facilitate preplanning and help doctors to more quickly and easily improve their skills in brachytherapy surgery. For unskilled doctors, this system can increase confidence and support the successful completion of surgery. The system is based on a VR system that can deliver a fully immersive training environment and involves three functions: simulation of the relocation template, arrangement of the puncture needles and the implantation of the seeds. We used Student’s t test to verify the efficiency of the system. Participants were required to complete both the training and a questionnaire to supply feedback. The participants subsequently performed simulation surgery on a dummy and reviewed their cumulative errors compared with the ideal condition. The results demonstrate that this VR system is able to effectively train unskilled doctors, especially young doctors. This system is appreciated by a variety of people, especially inexperienced and younger users, as it is easy to use and provides an enjoyable learning experience.