Introduction. With the availability of low-cost head-mounted displays (HMDs), virtual reality environments (VREs) are increasingly being used in medicine for teaching and clinical purposes. Our aim was to develop an interactive, userfriendly VRE for tridimensional visualization of patient-specific organs, establishing a workflow to transfer 3-dimensional (3D) models from imaging datasets to our immersive VRE. Materials and Methods. This original VRE model was built using open-source software and a mobile HMD, Samsung Gear VR. For its validation, we enrolled 33 volunteers: morphologists (n = 11), trainee surgeons (n = 15), and expert surgeons (n = 7). They tried our VRE and then filled in an original 5-point Likert-type scale 6-item questionnaire, considering the following parameters: ease of use, anatomy comprehension compared with 2D radiological imaging, explanation of anatomical variations, explanation of surgical procedures, preoperative planning, and experience of gastrointestinal/neurological disorders. Results in the 3 groups were statistically compared using analysis of variance. Results. Using cross-sectional medical imaging, the developed VRE allowed to visualize a 3D patient-specific abdominal scene in 1 hour. Overall, the 6 items were evaluated positively by all groups; only anatomy comprehension was statistically significant different among the 3 groups. Conclusions. Our approach, based on open-source software and mobile hardware, proved to be a valid and well-appreciated system to visualize 3D patient-specific models, paving the way for a potential new tool for teaching and preoperative planning.

Introduction

Introduction: Most hemodialysis patients start renal replacement therapy with a central venous catheter (CVC). The left internal jugular vein (LIJV) is the second-choice vein for CVC positioning, after the right IJV. However, to reach the right atrium, the CVC must pass through the left brachiocephalic vein (LBV), which also drains blood from the left arm through the subclavian vein. The purpose of this study is to describe how the anatomy of the central venous system and in particular that of the LBV affects vascular access in hemodialysis patients. Materials and methods: Three-dimensional (3D) virtual model reconstructions of the central thoracic veins of three hemodialysis patients were obtained from contrastenhanced computed tomography scans acquired in the venous phase. The images were exported as DICOM files and loaded on open-source software for visualizing and analyzing the medical imaging (3D Slicer, Windows version 4.8.1). Results: As expected, the 3D reconstructions showed that the LBV has a tortuous path with three main angulations that could be associated with external compression and stenosis. These could determine the difficulties and increased risks of venous injury during CVC placement, and an increased risk of medium to long-term catheterassociated vein thrombosis and stenosis. Conclusions: The anatomical features of the LBV indicate that the path of a CVC from the LIJV to the right atrium is tortuous and can easily be complicated by vein injury, negatively affecting the creation of future arterio-venous vascular accesses in the left arm.

Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been adopted in pediatric age for the treatment of congenital lung malformations (CLM). The success of VATS in pediatrics largely depends on the surgeon’s skill ability to understand the airways, vascular system and lung parenchyma anatomy in CLM. In the last years, virtual reality (VR) and 3-dimensional (3D) printing of organ models and VR head mounted display (HMD) technologies have been introduced for completion of preoperative planning in adult patients. To date no reports about the use of VR HMD technologies in a pediatric setting are available. The aim of this report is to introduce a VR HMD model in VATS procedure to improve the quality of care in children with CLM. VR HMD set-up for planning thoracoscopic surgery was performed in a series of pediatric patients with diagnosis of CLM. The preoperative VR HMD evaluation allowed a navigation into the malformation with the aim to explore, interact, and make the surgeon more confident and skilled to answer to the traps. A development of surgical simulations models and teaching program dedicated to education and training in pediatric VATS is suitable among the pediatric surgery community. Further studies should demonstrate all the benefits of such technology in pediatric patients submitted to VATS procedure.

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