Development of a Patient-Specific BRDF-Based Human Lung Rendering for VATS Simulation

Abstract

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), referred to as the commonest minimum invasive excision for located T1 or T2 lung carcinomas, requires a steep learning curve for the novice residents to acquire highly deliberate skills to achieve surgical competence. Based on the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) physic-based rendering model, the aim of this study is to propose a virtual reality-based (VR) surgical educative simulator with realistic performance in visual rendering for human lung in VAST procedures. Patient-specific medical images and 360-degree dynamic surgical room environment are also being integrated in our training scenario. Finally, validation experiments are implemented on the virtual surgical simulator SimVATS framework, which demonstrated a high performance and distinguished immersion. This study may explore a new graphic rendering model for the VATS surgical education integrate with haptic and VR implementation.