Enhanced Epidural Tissue Perception for Pediatric Patients by An Interactive Lumbar Puncture Simulator

摘要

Delicate perception to the loss-of-resistance signal is crucial for a successful children lumbar puncture. However, the skill development for residents in such complex and precise procedure is primarily performed directly on pediatric patients. Serious mistakes may lead to major complications, such as nerve damage, cerebrospinal fluid leakage. In this study, a haptic feedback lumbar puncture simulator is proposed to enhance the training by providing new insight into a virtual patient. An improved haptic rendering model is build based on the clinical lumbar puncture data. The posture of the virtual lumbar puncture robot is controlled by a head-mounted display. And the simulated insertion needle is manipulated by Geomagic Touch with haptic feedback. The system is tested by some volunteers with no medical experience. The simulator gives a reliable haptic and visual impression of the lumbar puncture procedure. The evaluation results show that the system can provide a more realistic simulation environment for surgical training and reduce the training time of residents.