A Virtual Look at the Heart
Reported December 23, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Virtual reality may be the newest way to help doctors diagnose heart conditions quickly and easily in the future. The key is the ability to see in the heart three dimensionally.
While 3-D images have been available, they are normally viewed on a 2-D flat screen, limiting the potential of the images to be used to their fullest capabilities in aiding a physician to detect defects. Virtual reality, on the other hand, would allow doctors to fully interpret the 3-D data.
To test this, researchers from the Netherlands projected ultrasound-generated 3-D images of hearts in a special room that allows the images to be seen on three walls and the floor. This essentially creates an animated hologram floating in space. Polarized glasses give the doctors the ability to see the hologram with depth.
Ten heart specialists used the technology to look at four hearts with defects and two healthy hearts. All doctors were able to differentiate the defected heart from the healthy heart in just 10 minutes. The technology allowed them to dive into the beating heart and see interior parts they otherwise could not see.
Currently, this technology is only available at a few research centers around the world. Based on these results, however, researchers say, “We believe that dynamic 3-D echocardiography in virtual reality has the potential for wider applicability in providing a preview of real intracardiac anatomy.”
Researchers also note this technology will have to be run on smaller virtual reality systems in order to be integrated into clinical practice.
SOURCE: Cardiovascular Ultrasound, published online Dec. 23, 2005