A new technology is helping brain surgery residents improve their skills before they practice on patients.
At Mount Sinai School of Medicine, first year resident Jonathan Rasoli Is using a virtual reality simulator to hone his brain surgery skills. The machine simulates the sounds, the feelings, the actual tactile feedback that you'd get if you're were standing in the OR.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is the first in the U.S. To use the Neurotouch Simulator. Its 3D software and hand-held controls closely mimic actual brain surgeries, allowing residents to practice procedures before they perform them on patients.
Dr. Joshua Bederson, the Chair of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai says, "I think it has tremendous potential to improve and potentially revolutionize how we train and prepare for surgeries."
The simulator measures speed, accuracy, and blood loss. And if surgeons are cutting away a tumor, it records how much of the growth is removed as well as healthy tissue.
Doctors also hope to one day import scans of individual patients onto the device before their operations.
Simulators are already used in laparoscopic surgery. This is a first though for brain surgery. The National Research Council of Canada designed the Neurotouch.
At Mount Sinai School of Medicine, first year resident Jonathan Rasoli Is using a virtual reality simulator to hone his brain surgery skills. The machine simulates the sounds, the feelings, the actual tactile feedback that you'd get if you're were standing in the OR.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is the first in the U.S. To use the Neurotouch Simulator. Its 3D software and hand-held controls closely mimic actual brain surgeries, allowing residents to practice procedures before they perform them on patients.
Dr. Joshua Bederson, the Chair of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai says, "I think it has tremendous potential to improve and potentially revolutionize how we train and prepare for surgeries."
The simulator measures speed, accuracy, and blood loss. And if surgeons are cutting away a tumor, it records how much of the growth is removed as well as healthy tissue.
Doctors also hope to one day import scans of individual patients onto the device before their operations.
Simulators are already used in laparoscopic surgery. This is a first though for brain surgery. The National Research Council of Canada designed the Neurotouch.
