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Virtual Thoracic Surgery

In the 1950s, Morton Heilig wrote of an “Experience Theater” that could encompass all the senses in an effective manner, drawing the viewer into the onscreen activity. In the early 1960s, he developed a machine that could take the participant on a motorcycle “ride” through Brooklyn, experiencing the sights, sounds—even the smells—of the event. Who knew that 40 years later his idea would be used to save lives? Virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Through VR the participant can experience many different scenarios without risk of harm. These scenarios can be used to inform, entertain, or even safely train a participant in a skill or duty that could pose harm in the real world. Over the last 30 years, VR training has been widely used in many different venues including air travel, military training, and even medicine. VR has had a prolific effect on medicine and surgery and is being used in almost all medical fields today. From training to assisting seasoned physicians with diagnosis—VR is there. In the field of thoracic surgery, VR’s many different applications can be broken down into three major categories: n Evaluating the airway (assessment of bronchial stenosis, foreign body aspiration) n Planning and assisting in therapeutic intervention (assisting in transbronchial biopsy) n Assisting in education (simulators and anatomic references).