Software structure design for a haptic-based medical examination system

This work presents a novel approach to software structure design of a haptic-based medical examination simulator. The proposed software is implemented in a fully object-oriented structure that provides real-time interaction with a PHANToM/spl trade/ haptic device, as a diagnostic tool for medical experts. The software allows radiology experts to visualize, display and interact with the graphical model of a patient's pre-scanned organ or tissue. The expert is also able to re-slice through pre-registered model data sets and view the 2D reslice images in different modalities simultaneously. The haptic interface guarantees position correspondence between the operator's hand and a virtual probe. Thus the simulated procedure emulates actual examinations condition in clinic. Our preliminary human factors study at Kingston General Hospital with radiology residents have demonstrated the significant potential of the developed software for scientific and commercial applications.