A study published in the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Radiology and Surgery has explored the use of virtual reality (VR) in assessing the resectability of pancreatic cancer. The research team used VR to create an immersive analysis of imaging data such as CT and MRI scans. The study found that VR enhanced visualization of abdominal CT and MRI scan data, providing a more intuitive understanding of anatomy and potentially more accurate staging of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The study suggests that VR could become a valuable tool in PDAC resectability assessment and medical training.
Virtual Reality in Medical Imaging
A study published in the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Radiology and Surgery explores the use of virtual reality (VR) in the assessment of pancreatic cancer resectability. The study was conducted by a team of researchers including Julia Madlaina Kunz, Peter Maloca, Andreas Allemann, David Fasler, Savas Soysal, Silvio Däster, Marko Kraljevic, Gulbahar Syeda, Benjamin Weixler, Christian Nebiker, Vincent Ochs, Raoul Droeser, Harriet Louise Walker, Martin Bolli, Beat Müller, Philippe Cattin, and Sebastian Manuel Staubli. The team used VR to create an immersive and interactive analysis of imaging data such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The study aimed to assess the comprehensibility of VR anatomy and its value in assessing the resectability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The researchers displayed volumetric abdominal CT and MRI data in a VR environment and asked physicians to identify anatomical landmarks. In the second stage, experienced clinicians were asked to identify vascular involvement in a total of 12 CT and MRI scans displaying PDAC. The results were then compared to 2D standard PACS viewing.
The results showed that in VR visualization of CT and MRI, the abdominal anatomical landmarks were recognized by all participants except the pancreas in VR CT and the splenic and common hepatic artery in VR MRI. In VR CT, resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced PDAC were correctly identified in 22/24, 20/24, and 19/24 scans respectively. In VR MRI, these were correctly identified in 19/24, 19/24, and 21/24 scans respectively. The interobserver agreement, as measured by Fleiss κ, was 0.7 for CT and 0.4 for MRI respectively.
The study concluded that VR enhanced visualisation of abdominal CT and MRI scan data provides intuitive handling and understanding of anatomy and might allow for more accurate staging of PDAC. This could become a valuable adjunct in PDAC resectability assessment in the future. The study also highlighted the potential of VR in medical training and innovation in the field of pancreatic cancer.
Virtual reality allows the viewer to experience a computer-generated environment interactively. A PACS compatible VR software, Specto VR, has been developed capable of rendering, segmenting, and displaying cross-sectional medical imaging such as CT or MRI in real-time. This software can be used to import a cross-sectional imaging dataset directly from PACS and render this image data into a freely interactive 3D model.
Despite the potential benefits of VR visualisation, its translation into daily clinical practice on a wide scale has not yet occurred. However, the study suggests that VR enhanced visualisation of abdominal CT and MRI data will gain further importance in the future. The application of VR technology to assess complex medical images could improve surgical and oncological treatment planning.
The resectability of PDAC is a challenge in clinical practice due to notoriously low interobserver agreement for CT scans. The resectability of PDAC likely represents a clinical continuum rather than a clear cutoff, further adding to the complexity of resectability assessment. Current guidelines recommend contrast-enhanced CT or MR imaging to assess local resectability, and VR software might add potential benefit by allowing the viewer to freely interact with 3D rendered cross-sectional imaging.
The article titled “Assessment of resectability of pancreatic cancer using novel immersive high-performance virtual reality rendering of abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging” was published on January 22, 2024, in the International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery. The authors of the study include J Kunz, Peter Maloca, Andreas Allemann, David A Fasler, Savas D. Soysal, Silvio Däster, Marko Kraljević, Gulbahar Syeda, Benjamin Weixler, Christian A. Nebiker, Vincent Ochs, Raoul A. Droeser, Harriet Louise Walker, Martin Bolli, Beat Müller, Philippe C. Cattin, and Sebastian M. Staubli. The study can be accessed through the DOI reference https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-023-03048-0.
