Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Work supported by the NIHR i4i funded 3D Heart project [II-LA-0716-20001]
Background/Introduction
Virtual Reality (VR) has recently gained great interest for examining 3D images from congenital heart disease (CHD) patients. Currently, 3D printed models of the heart may be used for particularly complex cases. These have been found to be intuitive and to positively impact clinical decision-making. Although positively received, such printed models must be segmented from the image data, generally only CT/MR may be used, the prints are static, and models do not allow for cropping / slicing or easy manipulation. Our VR system is designed to address these issues, as well as providing a simple interface compared to standard software. Building such a VR system, one with intuitive interaction which is clinically useful, requires studying user acceptance and requirements.
Purpose: We evaluate the usability of our VR system
can a prototype VR system be easily learned and used by clinicians unfamiliar with VR.
Method
We tested a VR system which can display 3D echo images and enables the user to interact with them, for instance by translating, rotating and cropping. Our system is tested on a transoesophageal echocardiogram from a patient with aortic valve disease. 13 clinicians evaluated the system including 5 imaging cardiologists, 5 physiologists, 2 surgeons and an interventionist, with their clinical experience ranging from trainee to more than 5 years’ of experience. None had used VR regularly in the past. After a brief training session, they were asked to place three anatomical landmarks and identify a particular cardiac view. They then completed a questionnaire on system ease of learning and image manipulation.
Results: Results are shown in the figure below. Learning to use the system was perceived as easy for all but one participant, who rated it as ‘Somewhat difficult’. However, once trained, all users found the system easy to use. Participants found the interaction, where objects in the scene are picked up using the controller and then track the controller’s motion in a 1:1 way, to be particularly easy to learn and use.
Conclusion
Our VR system was accepted by the vast majority of clinicians, both for ease of learning and use. Intuitiveness and the ability to interact with images in a natural way were highlighted as most useful - suggesting that such a system could become accepted for routine clinical use in the future.
Abstract P1417 Figure. VR system evaluation participant feedbac
CMR adenosine stress perfusion in pediatrics and congenital heart disease: effects on clinical decision making and outcomes
