Supporting ultrasound diagnosis using an animated 3D model of the heart

We have developed a training and support system for echocardiography based on a 3D visualization of a virtual beating heart and the blood flow. The user can interact with the system by positioning a tracker-equipped transducer. The user is able to acquire mental images of the dynamic anatomy of the heart, a mental model for the interpretation of ultrasonic images, and skills in capturing standard positions. The heart model is not reconstructed from actual patient data, but manually designed as a surface model to visualize the most important structures and pathologies. First experiences in actual training courses provide evidence that users gain experiences that are very difficult to obtain in other ways