Applications of Virtual Reality in Surgical Technology and Education

數十年來科技的進步改變人類的生活，也進化了醫療的方式。然而，外科教 育和訓練學生的方法卻仍停留在百年前「每次探視一位病患，幫一位病患動手 術，並教導一位學生」的師徒相授模式。在凡事講究成本效益以及病患安全的現 代社會，舊有的教學方式正面臨前所未有的挑戰。此外，手術方式及設備不斷推 陳出新，也迫使醫師必須借助更有效率的方法來訓練自己。虛擬實境模擬訓練器 的出現，使得上述外科醫療及教學的困境出現解決的可能。 虛擬實境是以電腦科技為基礎的模擬訓練系統，長期以來對於軍事及航空工 業的訓練已有令人滿意的成果。透過虛擬實境的模擬訓練，學習者可以在事先預 設好的環境下，反覆練習手術的技巧，探索有興趣的器官及結構，等技巧純熟後 再應用到真實的病患身上。這樣不但可以針對陌生或不熟悉的領域加強實習訓 練，也可有效減少在實際病患身上緊張及熟悉的過程。如此，便可達成縮短病患 的開刀時間，提升每一次手術的成功率，避免因練習用解剖屍體的不足而降低實 際臨摹經驗，以及減少因人為的不當操作而產生的手術失誤。 除了手術技巧及教學的訓練外，虛擬實境在醫療方面的應用還包含解剖學教 學、術前計畫、遠距醫療、以及復健等。隨著電腦計算能力的提升和價格的下降， 虛擬實境將愈來愈逼近真實，對未來人類的生活及外科醫療教育也會有更深遠的 影響。在去年的計畫，本團隊已完成3D 立體虛擬支氣管鏡檢查系統，並於92 年台灣外科醫學年會中試用，獲得廣泛回響。Technological advances during the past several decades have dramatically changed the ways in which we conduct our daily activities and practice of medicine. However, our methods of training and teaching remain mired in the 100-year-old apprenticeship model with the principle of “see one, do one, teach one”. This system of surgical education is facing many challenges in terms of time efficiency, costs, and safety of patient. In addition, as new types of operations are developed rapidly, practicing surgeons may find needs for more efficient methods of surgical skill training. One of the solutions to these problems is the development of virtual reality (VR) training simulators. VR means computer-based simulation system, has achieved long and successful use in the fields of military and aerospace industry. With VR training simulators, the learner can practice difficult procedures under a well-controlled situation, explore the structures of interest repeatedly, and then move on to practice in a real patient. In addition to surgical technology and education, computer-based VR simulators were also widely applied in the fields of anatomy education, preoperative planning, telemedicine, and rehabilitation. As the computing power will continue to become faster and cheaper, VR simulator will become more real, and play important roles in our daily life and surgical education. In the last year, our research team had developed a 3D virtual bronchoscopy examination system. This product was shown on the annual meeting of Taiwan Surgical Association this year, and responded by a lot of attention and appreciation