Comparison of 2D and autostereoscopic 3D visualization during mixed reality simulation

• Published in: International journal for computer assisted radiology and surgery Vol. 18; no. 9; pp. 1679 - 1686
• Main Authors: Vörös, Viktor, De Smet, Jef, Ourak, Mouloud, Poliakov, Vladimir, Deprest, Jan, Kimpe, Tom, Vander Poorten, Emmanuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.09.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Autostereoscopic; Completion time; Computer Imaging; Computer Science; Contact force; Feedback; Finite element method; Health Informatics; Imaging; Laparoscopy; Learning curves; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mixed reality; Original Article; Pattern Recognition and Graphics; Radiology; Simulation; Soft tissues; Space perception; Surgeons; Surgery; Vagina; Virtual reality; Vision; Visualization; 2D/3D Comparison; VR simulation; Minimally invasive surgery; Autostereoscopy
• ISSN: 1861-6429; 1861-6410; 1861-6429
• DOI: 10.1007/s11548-023-02876-4

Purpose In general minimally invasive surgical procedures, surgeons are tied to 2D visualization, leading to the loss of depth perception. This can lead to large mental load for the surgeons and may be responsible for the long learning curve. To restore the sense of depth, this study investigated the use and benefits of an autostereoscopic (3D) display during a simulated laparoscopic task. Methods A mixed reality simulator was developed for comparing the performance of participants while using 2D and autostereoscopic 3D visualization. An electromagnetic sensor was mounted on a physical instrument, and its pose was mapped to the virtual instrument. The virtual scene was developed using Simulation Open Framework Architecture (SOFA). Finite element modeling was used to calculate interaction forces, which were then mapped to visual soft tissue deformation. Results Ten non-expert participants completed a virtual laparoscopic task, where the subjects were asked to contact eighteen target areas distributed on the surface of the vagina, both in 2D and 3D. Results showed an improvement with 3D vision in task completion time (–16%), total traveled distance (–25%) and errors made (–14%). There was no difference in the average contact forces between the vagina and the instrument. Only the difference in time and forces were shown to be statistically significant. Conclusion Overall, autostereoscopic 3D showed superiority over conventional 2D visualization. The traveled trajectory increased in 2D as the instrument was retracted more between the targets to avoid contact. The 2D and 3D deformation upon contact seems not to contribute differently to force perception. However, the participants only had visual feedback, but no haptic feedback. Therefore, it could be interesting to include haptic feedback in a future study.