Biomedical Interactive Technology Center
Simulated Cardiac Catheterization
Coronary angiography is widely used to assess the extent and severity of coronary artery disease and is clinically performed by the procedure of cardiac catheterization. Cardiac catheterization involves advancing a catheter under fluoroscopic guidance through the femoral and iliac arteries into the abdominal and thoracic aorta, and finally into the left and right coronary arteries. The cardiologist relies on visual feedback from the fluoroscopic display and from the resistance felt from the catheter to determine how the catheter should be advanced, withdrawn, or rotated. However, the vascular structures are essentially invisible unless dye is injected and becoming proficient in maneuvering the catheter remains a key challenge for training cardiologists. The Biomedical Interactive Technology Center is developing an interactive computer simulation for catheterization training. Three dimensional computer models of the vasculature and catheter are displayed on a monitor while the student guides a real catheter into a dummy patient on the table. A tracking system in the dummy monitors the catheter's rotation and advancement. This position and rotation information is passed to the simulation computer which updates the display of the virtual catheter moving through the vascular tree. The vasculature can be rotated to simulate any viewing geometry. The model is rendered with flat shading to simulate the fluoroscopic display or it is rendered with full shading to provide the clear 3D visualization.
