Virtual Reality Training Method for Interventional Radiology Highlighted at SIR 2018

March 21, 2018—The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) announced the debut the first-ever virtual reality 360 (VR360) training video showcasing interventional radiology in practice at the SIR 2018 annual scientific meeting held March 17–22 in Los Angeles, California. The video was presented by Ziv J. Haskal, MD, during the Extreme IR session. Attendees received complimentary VR viewers to experience the video via their smart phones.

The 1-hour multisegment movie was funded by SIR's Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) and was initiated and led by Dr. Haskal, JVIR's Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Haskal is Professor of the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Haskal is planning next-generation VR projects to educate patients, trainees, and attending physicians about interventional radiology.

In the VR360 video, portions of which are available on YouTube, Dr. Haskal and his colleagues at the University of Virginia Health System perform a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure.

“Interventional radiology has always been on the forefront of modern medicine and VR360 is the cutting-edge of medical simulation, so this project embodies the innovative spirit of our specialty," said Dr. Haskal in an SIR announcement. "We took one of the hardest procedures we perform [TIPS] and created an all-enveloping, in-the-room VR film allowing an operating physician to return to any complex segment they wish for learning, review, and perspective.”

He continued, “The immersive nature of VR, particularly when viewed in a VR viewer, heralds a sea change in complex medical training. The multicamera shoot and floating high-definition inserts offer viewers every perspective of the case, maximizing learning.”

Dr. Haskal concluded, “VR is a force multiplier, providing expert training to physicians around the world, those wishing to refresh their skills or gain confidence for delivering care in environments where clinician experts cannot provide them in-room training.”

In an interview with Endovascular Today, Dr. Haskal explained that approximately 700 Google Cardboard VR players were distributed during the SIR meeting so that attendees could experience the VR360 video as it was intended, putting the viewer "in a complete and utterly immersive environment."

He recalled his first exposure to VR technology and realized this technology could be transformative when applied to procedural medicine. “It was clear that VR was going an incredibly new way to increase physician adoption of new technologies, to improve physician familiarity with procedures and technologies, and to get through barriers for using technology after, for example, an extended absence from using a device or procedure," said Dr. Haskal.