Virtual Reality for real world radiology

Cast your mind back to the last classroom you sat in. We’re willing to bet that it was filled with desks and whoever was teaching stood at the front, perhaps with a screen or interactive board (or a dry erase or chalkboard for those of us old enough to remember them!). Either way, when it was time to gather round for a guided instruction or demonstration, it could present a bit of a challenge.

The clamour is real. Because everyone wants the best possible view and to be at the front if there’s a chance to ‘have a go’. Expediency also means that for the majority of students everything is theoretical, and they must make do with simply watching and taking notes. Of course, this can often be absolutely fine, but there are times when it’s essential to learn by doing.

For the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (or SIRM), this came into sharp focus during the pandemic, when radiologists still required the latest ultrasound training but could no longer be taught in large groups. It showed them that while there is incredible educational value in students learning directly on the machine, it also means that you must either place limits on your class sizes or provide more machines and clinical educators. Neither were ideal.

For Alex Dell‘Era, Clinical & Technical Marketing Manager and Public Relations at Canon Medical Systems Italy, this planted the seeds of a potentially transformational idea. “We’ve been teaching in the same way since the Middle Ages,” he explains. “And we are still learning physical skills using notes and PowerPoint decks.” Colleagues at Canon Italy introduced Alex to the potential of the EOS VR System and they began exploring the possibilities of Virtual Reality in radiology education.

Like so many other industries, the speed at which new technology is being introduced into medicine and healthcare is breathtaking. When Alex reached out to Professor Roberto Grassi, an eminent radiologist, who was also President of SIRM, it was clear that he was also concerned by the need for healthcare professionals to keep pace with new developments. So, inviting him and clinical educator Professor Vito Cantisani to guide this ambitious project was a natural fit in introducing the world of Virtual Reality learning to radiologists.

“We began by creating a VR guide to conducting a full abdominal ultrasound,” explains Alex. “And quickly realised how easy it was to use the Canon VR System, so we decided to make more. In the end we created five protocols, adding the kidneys, liver, pancreas and bladder.” The training experiences were created using the Canon Medical Aplio i800 Prism Edition ultrasound system and filmed with a Canon EOS R5 C camera and RF 5.2mm F2.8L Dual Fisheye lens under the watchful eye of Professors Grassi and Cantisani.

Once complete, they were tested across a number of organisations – universities, scientific societies and even the Italian Navy! “The marines undergo tough training and part of this is how to perform an ultrasound, which they have to learn as quickly as possible,” adds Alex. This in itself opens up a world of access to training beyond the hospital, not just military medics, but those involved in disaster relief and humanitarian aid.

From a technical perspective, the students are able to use any kind of mid-range VR headset to access the training, but once inside they become immersed in a 180º stereoscopic video in 8K. This means that they have a beautifully real, wide and clear field of view with three-dimensional depth, in a space which faithfully replicates the experience of being in a diagnostic room. Students learn alongside an expert operator, so they can closely observe them as they conduct an ultrasound, showing, one-on-one, exactly how to proceed.

It doesn’t take much of a leap of imagination to see the breadth of potential for this kind of training in the future. One such possible application would be to create educational experiences for complex and specialist machines which are not widely available, such as the Alphenix 4D CT. It’s an incredible solution which combines CT and angiography (a kind of x-ray which checks blood vessels), so that a team of doctors can diagnose, treat and then check a patient all in one room, sort of like a multimedia operating theatre. VR could easily introduce this solution to students as part of continued professional development, widening their skillsets and allowing them to more easily transition from hospital to hospital.

Being able to combine two worlds in this way results in resourcefulness, imagination and the kind of value that our corporate philosophy of Kyosei – living and working together for the common good – was conceived to describe. “This is just the beginning,” smiles Alex. “There are no limits to our creativity.”

Learn more about the Canon EOS VR System.