Applications of Virtual Environments in Medicine

2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (05) ◽  
pp. 524-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Riva

Summary Objectives: This paper intends to investigate the role of virtual reality (VR) in medicine. In particular it outlines the current state of research and technology that is relevant to the development of effective virtual environments in medicine. Methods: After describing the two different visions of VR we can find in medicine – the presentation of virtual objects to all of the human senses in a way identical to their natural counterpart, and a new human-computer interaction paradigm in which users are active participants within a computer-generated three-dimensional virtual world – the paper presents some of the most interesting applications actually developed in the area. Finally, it discusses the clinical principles, technological devices and safety issues associated with the use of VR in medicine. Results: With more than 1,000 VR papers already indexed in Medline, VR is a reality health care. Even if the number of controlled studies is still limited, its merging with emerging technologies like Ambient Intelligence and wireless communication will further improve its diffusion. Conclusions: The possible impact of VR on health care could be even higher than the one offered by the new communication technologies like Internet. In fact, VR is at the same tima technology, a communication interface and an experience: a communication interface based on interactive 3D visualization, able to collect and integrate in single real-like experience different inputs and data sets. However, significant efforts are still required to move VR into commercial success and therefore routine clinical use.

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Riva

Abstract:Technologies that were hardly used ten years ago, such as the Internet, e-mail, and video teleconferencing are becoming familiar methods for diagnosis, therapy, education and training. However, the possible impact of virtual reality (VR) on health care is even higher than the one offered by the new communication technologies. In fact, VR is a technology, a communication interface and an experience: a communication interface based on interactive 3D visualization, able to collect and integrate in single real-like experience different inputs and data sets.The first health care applications of VR started in the early ‘90s with the need for medical staff to visualize complex medical data, particularly during surgery and for surgery planning. A couple of years later, the scope of VR applications in medicine has broadened to include neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation.This paper intends to investigate the role of VR in medicine, presenting some of the most interesting applications actually developed in the area. Moreover, it discusses the clinical principles, technological devices and safety issues associated with the use of virtual reality in medicine.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Pensieri ◽  
Maddalena Pennacchini

Background: Virtual Reality (VR) was defined as a collection of technological devices: “a computer capable of interactive 3D visualization, a head-mounted display and data gloves equipped with one or more position trackers”. Today, lots of scientists define VR as a simulation of the real world based on computer graphics, a three dimensional world in which communities of real people interact, create content, items and services, producing real economic value through e-Commerce.Objective: To report the results of a systematic review of articles and reviews published about the theme: “Virtual Reality in Medicine”.Methods: We used the search query string: “Virtual Reality”, “Metaverse”, “Second Life”, “Virtual World”, “Virtual Life” in order to find out how many articles were written about these themes. For the “Meta-review” we used only “Virtual Reality” AND “Review”. We searched the following databases: Psycinfo, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Isiknowledge till September 2011 and Pubmed till February 2012. We included any source published in either print format or on the Internet, available in all languages, and containing texts that define or attempt to define VR in explicit terms.Results: We retrieved 3,443 articles on Pubmed in 2012 and 8,237 on Isiknowledge in 2011. This large number of articles covered a wide range of themes, but showed no clear consensus about VR. We identified 4 general uses of VR in Medicine, and searched for the existing reviews about them. We found 364 reviews in 2011, although only 197 were pertinent to our aims: 1. Communication Interface (11 Reviews); 2. Medical Education (49 reviews); 3. Surgical Simulation (49 Reviews) and 4. Psychotherapy (88 Reviews).Conclusion: We found a large number of articles, but no clear consensus about the meaning of the term VR in Medicine. We found numerous articles published on these topics and many of them have been reviewed. We decided to group these reviews in 4 areas in order to provide a systematic overview of the subject matter, and to enable those interested to learn more about these particular topics.


Author(s):  
Rosa Reis ◽  
Bertil P. Marques

During the last few years, learning analytics (LA) has gained the interest of researchers in the field of education. Generally, LA is related with the development of methods that use educational data sets to support the learning process. Therefore, there is a need understanding how learners, educators, and institutions can best support this process. Thus, a framework is presented that tries to extend the collaborative three-dimensional virtual environments for educational by integrating a LA tool. The aim is to help the teacher to monitor and evaluate the students' learning process in these types of environments. It is the intention include a (1) comprehensive analysis of the currently available LA tools for educational, (2) design of a user-centered framework based the requirements gathered from the analysis, and (3) thorough evaluation of framework to allow identify possible behavior patterns of students within the environment, related to your preferences for materials and expertise.


Author(s):  
A. Guntel ◽  
A. C. Aydinoglu

Abstract. Digital data production possibilities have developed with the emerging technologies, and it has become possible to use different data formats together. The usability of three-dimensional (3D) data on various application areas has increased with the multidimensional use of geographic data in established information systems, for 3D visualization, presentation, and analysis. Topography-related analyzes such as digital elevation models, digital terrain models, slope maps and visibility maps can be made from geographic data sets produced in 3D. In addition, the use of 3D data in Building Information Modeling (BIM) has added various innovations for geographic data analysis. In this study, a geographic database was established by taking the vector data produced in the 3D Cadastre project that was carried out by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre as an example. Data obtained from photogrammetry and architectural projects were used in accordance with the OGC CityGML standard. After creating 3D building database in GIS environment, as result of various visualization and analysis techniques, the contributions of this project to BIM were revealed for various applications such as real estate valuation, disaster management, renewable energy, 3D city models, and smart city projects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
George P. Cribaro ◽  
Elena Saavedra-López ◽  
Leire Romarate ◽  
Izaskun Mitxitorena ◽  
Laura R. Díaz ◽  
...  

AbstractThe cellular complexity of glioblastoma microenvironments is still poorly understood. In-depth, cell-resolution tissue analyses of human material are rare but highly necessary to understand the biology of this deadly tumor. Here we present a unique 3D visualization revealing the cellular composition of human GBM in detail and considering its critical association with the neo-vascular niche. Our images show a complex vascular map of human 3D biopsies with increased vascular heterogeneity and altered spatial relationship with astrocytes or glioma-cell counterparts. High-resolution analysis of the structural layers of the blood brain barrier showed a multilayered fenestration of endothelium and basement membrane. Careful examination of T cell position and migration relative to vascular walls revealed increased infiltration corresponding with tumor proliferation. In addition, the analysis of the myeloid landscape not only showed a volumetric increase in glioma-associated microglia and macrophages relative to GBM proliferation but also revealed distinct phenotypes in tumor nest and stroma. Images and data sets are available on demand as a resource for public access.


2020 ◽  
pp. 194338752092276
Author(s):  
Max Wilkat ◽  
Daman Deep Singh ◽  
Isabelle Lutz ◽  
Henriette Möllmann ◽  
Nils-Claudius Gellrich ◽  
...  

The aim of the present study was to analyze the size of the preoperatively calculated defect volume of MRONJ patients (medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw) and to develop a computer-aided tool based on techniques of AI (artificial intelligence) that facilitates diagnostics of MRONJ. For this purpose, on the basis of 3D (three-dimensional) data sets of 175 MRONJ patients, the outline of the necrosis was marked with the software iPlan 3.0.5 (BrainLAB AG) thus determining the respective volume. The correlation of this volume with other 31 collected parameters was analyzed retrospectively. There was a significant correlation between the defect volume on the one hand, and the MRONJ stage, the number of performed operations, and the therapy invasiveness on the other hand. Furthermore, it could be shown that in one third of the cases no defects could be recognized in the 2D imaging by panoramic radiograph,  while in the 3D data sets defects already had been demarcated. On the basis of these data, a computer-aided tool based on the principles of AI was developed and validated, which might allow the automated calculation of the 3D defect extension and classification of the MRONJ cases into a ranking system. In conclusion, preparation of a 3D image can be recommended for reliably making the diagnosis “MRONJ.” Moreover, knowledge of the exact defect volume serves as a decision-making aid with regard to the choice of therapy, ensures intraoperative certitude, and allows an assessment of the prognosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 1927-1930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Shang ◽  
Shui Peng Zhang

Image rendering of shadow faces a problem existed for a long time,that is the contradiction of quality and performance. Variant algorithms are presented to ameliorate this problem,shadow map is the one which is representative for that. Even though shadow maps have been widely used for the shadow of Three-dimensional scene,some imperfection still exist in this method like aliasing problem.So,the focus of the paper is introduce an algorithm which layering the data sets of the large scale building's shadow rapidly and intelligently based shadow map. First, we ascertain the fragment which create the shadow by shadow mapping's two scan. Second, we process the float data in the depth buffer by using uniformization and render the two depth data in the texture.Then use Gauss Filter to blur.Finally,use the algorithm of BIRCH cluster the uniformization data to improve the obscure and tweened effect.This method brings reduction of aliasing problem with low overhead as well as performance to a certain extent .


Author(s):  
Mark Ellisman ◽  
Maryann Martone ◽  
Gabriel Soto ◽  
Eleizer Masliah ◽  
David Hessler ◽  
...  

Structurally-oriented biologists examine cells, tissues, organelles and macromolecules in order to gain insight into cellular and molecular physiology by relating structure to function. The understanding of these structures can be greatly enhanced by the use of techniques for the visualization and quantitative analysis of three-dimensional structure. Three projects from current research activities will be presented in order to illustrate both the present capabilities of computer aided techniques as well as their limitations and future possibilities.The first project concerns the three-dimensional reconstruction of the neuritic plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. We have developed a software package “Synu” for investigation of 3D data sets which has been used in conjunction with laser confocal light microscopy to study the structure of the neuritic plaque. Tissue sections of autopsy samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease were double-labeled for tau, a cytoskeletal marker for abnormal neurites, and synaptophysin, a marker of presynaptic terminals.


Author(s):  
K. Urban ◽  
Z. Zhang ◽  
M. Wollgarten ◽  
D. Gratias

Recently dislocations have been observed by electron microscopy in the icosahedral quasicrystalline (IQ) phase of Al65Cu20Fe15. These dislocations exhibit diffraction contrast similar to that known for dislocations in conventional crystals. The contrast becomes extinct for certain diffraction vectors g. In the following the basis of electron diffraction contrast of dislocations in the IQ phase is described. Taking account of the six-dimensional nature of the Burgers vector a “strong” and a “weak” extinction condition are found.Dislocations in quasicrystals canot be described on the basis of simple shear or insertion of a lattice plane only. In order to achieve a complete characterization of these dislocations it is advantageous to make use of the one to one correspondence of the lattice geometry in our three-dimensional space (R3) and that in the six-dimensional reference space (R6) where full periodicity is recovered . Therefore the contrast extinction condition has to be written as gpbp + gobo = 0 (1). The diffraction vector g and the Burgers vector b decompose into two vectors gp, bp and go, bo in, respectively, the physical and the orthogonal three-dimensional sub-spaces of R6.


2008 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Passini

The relation between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation was analyzed, with authoritarianism measured using a three-dimensional scale. The implicit multidimensional structure (authoritarian submission, conventionalism, authoritarian aggression) of Altemeyer’s (1981, 1988) conceptualization of authoritarianism is inconsistent with its one-dimensional methodological operationalization. The dimensionality of authoritarianism was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 713 university students. As hypothesized, the three-factor model fit the data significantly better than the one-factor model. Regression analyses revealed that only authoritarian aggression was related to social dominance orientation. That is, only intolerance of deviance was related to high social dominance, whereas submissiveness was not.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document