Virtual neurosurgical education for image-guided deep brain stimulation neurosurgery

Deep brain stimulation is an effective neurosurgical procedure widely used to treat patients suffering from neurological disorders such as Parkinson´s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Traditional ways of learning to operate such neurosurgery can be non-intuitive, costly, highly pressured, and time limited. With the development of virtual reality technology, such issues may be resolved. Immersive virtual environments use a stereoscopic head-mounted display and data glove to create high fidelity virtual experiences. Users can interact with three-dimensional models by peering over/in/through the object and perceive relationships at their true scale. This stands in contrast to traditional computer-aided infrastructure in which images are viewed as stacks of two-dimensional slices, or, at best, disembodied renderings. Various data sources such as video and audio could also be integrated into the environment to enrich the available information. Despite substantial innovation for entertainment and consumer media, applications of immersive virtual environment technologies in medical applications remain yet to be explored. In this paper, we consider potential applications of such technologies for deep brain stimulation patients with brain magnetic resonance imaging data. Our environment allows users to view brain scans at scale and interact with virtual models including anatomical structures and neural fiber tracts using a data glove. Micro-electrode recordings, stored as wav sound files, are integrated into the system, which permits the user to learn the different patterns of neuronal firing at different brain location. The system creates opportunities to study and optimize interfaces for medical data visualization and neurosurgical education.