Biomedical Sciences and Visualization
Haptic Interface for Virtual Exploration of Computational Data
Overview
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (ESS) has gained popularity among otolaryngologists as the
treatment of choice for recurrent acute and chronic sinusitis. These techniques require a high level of skill
to be performed adequately and without morbidity. ESS requires a thorough understanding of the
three-dimensional anatomy of the paranasal sinuses to avoid the associated risks of working within millimeters
of the brain, orbital contents, and associated vascular structures. These techniques are learned primarily in
a "hands-on" fashion within the operating room or through cadaver dissection after the anatomy has
been mastered from textbooks. The associated risks of novice surgeons doing ESS on real patients is self
evident. Cadaver specimens offer a nonthreatening environment in which to practice, but the supply of such
material is often limited, and tissue realism is lacking in both appearance and texture. The above factors
make the development of a surgical simulator for ESS using high performance computing a useful and necessary
goal.
In collaboration with Immersion Corporation, the Ohio Supercomputer Center is developing an
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Simulator. The patient model will be reconstructed from merged high resolution computed
tomography and magnetic resonance images and will be available for use on a high performance graphics workstation.
The simulation will consist of a physical model of the patient's head. An endoscope will be available in the nares
of the model. The user will insert the forceps and suction device through the nares. The instruments will engage
the haptic feedback hardware housed inside the model of the head. Initial versions will employ 3 degrees of
freedom to the instrumentation. Initially, the display will appear on a separate monitor, a technique commonly
used in ESS . Later versions will employ micromonitors combined with the eyepiece of the endoscope. The generated
graphics will be driven directly to the scope.
Acknowledgments
This research is supported by Grant DE-FG03-94ER from the Department of Energy. We would like to acknowledge the
support of Karl Storz Endoscopy - America Inc. for the donation of the endoscopic surgery equipment. We would like
to acknowledge the encouragement and support from our colleagues in the Department of Otolaryngology, Immersion
Corporation, and the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Special thanks goes to Dr. Petra Schmalbrock, in the Department
of Radiology at The Ohio State University Hospitals, for the imaging protocol and support in data acquisition,
and Dr. Roni Yagel, in the Department of Computer and Information Science, for support in developing the real-time
volume renderer.
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