Kian Delpech | 2022-2023 HIVE Intern Showcase

Project: Clinical value of virtual reality in pre-surgical planning of malignant hepatic tumours
Intern: Kian Delpech
Supervisors: Prof Zhonghua Sun (Curtin Medical School), Prof Mayank Bhandari (Curtin Medical School, Fiona Stanley Hospital, SJOG Hospital), Carley Tillett (Curtin HIVE)
Scholarship funded by: Discipline of Medical Radiation Science HDR Research Fund
Abstract: Personalised resection planning for hepatobiliary surgery is key to ensure successful outcomes with minimal risks or complications due to the complexity of hepatic anatomy and the relatively common presence of anatomical variants of the vascular and biliary structures. The emerging application of virtual reality (VR) technology in the medical domain has shown superior advantages over traditional visualisation techniques when planning complex or challenging surgeries.
This project aimed to develop a VR demonstration of hepatobiliary malignancies with surrounding hepatic anatomy, to explore the clinical value of how VR assists clinicians in the pre-surgical planning of tumour resection. 3D Slicer was used to segment high-resolution computed tomography (CT) datasets, using manual and semi-automatic approaches in 2 selected cases of hepatobiliary malignancies: multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC). The 3D segmented volume data were then demonstrated on a Meta Quest 2 VR headset using the SlicerVR extension for 3D Slicer. The VR demonstration may allow clinicians to improve their understanding of the spatial relationships between the pathology and surrounding structures, compared to the current methods of 2D/3D image visualisations. Furthermore, improvement in pre-surgical planning has potential to increase treatment outcomes by decreasing inappropriate surgical procedures and postoperative complications. This VR application will be assessed for potential clinical benefits, compared to the current standard of using 2D medical imaging data, as part of a continuing research project this year.
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Now in its eighth year, the Curtin HIVE Summer Internship Program provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable research project experience in visualisation related topics. Interns are supervised by leading researchers and undertake challenging research projects utilising the resources and support provided by the HIVE. Supervisors, sponsors and industry benefit from the opportunity to explore new techniques and technologies for their research area. For more information see www.hive.curti....