Enhanced Ultrasound Interpretation for Use in Neurological Navigation: Developing a Learning Platform for Enhanced Ultrasound Enterpretation

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) is widely used in medical imaging and boasts several advan- tages over other image modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT). Apart from being free of harmful ra- diation (which is a drawback of CT), US is non-invasive and in comparison inexpensive. US is also being used for intraoperative imaging and supports real-time imaging both in 2D and 3D. However, one needs significant experi- ence to accurately interpret an US image. This need for extensive training and experience using US may present a bottleneck to effectively applying US in neu- rosurgery. This thesis is an exploration of the usage of a serious game in the education of surgeons in use of US to perform brain surgery. We will describe the development and choices of a full system consisting of a serious game app, a backend server and a desktop application for administrating content.