Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine opened a neuroanatomy lab next to its Neurosurgical Simulation and Virtual Reality Center. Stanford's neurosurgery department intends for the new lab to bridge the gap between the simulation center and OR.
Here are five things to know.
1. Professor and chair of neurosurgery Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, spearheaded the labs' creation, along with clinical associate professor of neurosurgery Harminder Singh, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery Anand Veeravagu, MD, and Michel Kliot, MD, clinical professor of neurosurgery.
"In the simulation lab, the residents can put on the goggles, interact with the patient anatomy and learn about the case they're about to do the next day," said Dr. Singh. "Then in the anatomy lab, they do the dissection on real cadaver heads and practice the surgery techniques."
2. Since the simulation center opened in 2016, program coordinator and biomedical engineer Malie Collins has constructed over 500 VR models of complex neurosurgical cases, including aneurysms, tumors and spine deformities. Ms. Collins uses software called Surgical Theater, which translates 2-D patient datasets such as angiograms, MRIs and CT scans into 3D virtual environments.
3. Residents have unlimited access to the neuroanatomy lab, which also hosts workshops.
4. The lab is a prototype: the Grant Building, which houses both the neuroanatomy lab and simulation center, is scheduled for demolition in the next few years. The lab and VR center will be relocated to a permanent location.
"Our current space is not made for a cadaver dissection lab — we basically converted it for lack of space," Dr. Singh said. The future lab would ideally have space for three additional stations to allow six dissections to occur simultaneously.
5. Medtronic, Stryker, Haag-Streit USA and Mizuho donated more than $1.5 million of equipment to the lab.
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