A Virtual Reality and Haptic Simulator for Ultrasound-Guided Needle Insertion

Articular and soft tissue punctions or injections are widely used for the diagnosis and the treatment of rheumatic disorders. Ultrasound is increasingly used to guide these interventions in order to correctly position the needle in the target area, and thereby improve the efficiency and safety of the procedure. During their learning, medical students need to practice in order to master the manipulation of the needle and the ultrasound probe at the same time and acquire enough skills before practicing in a real patient. To offer a risk-free training for apprentices, we present in this paper the design and development of a simulator based on Haptics and Virtual Reality. We described in particular two main aspects of our prototype: (i) the model of forces involved in the needle insertion and their haptic rendering; (ii) the 2D ultrasound image rendering of the virtual environment. Their combination provides the student with a realistic experience. An additional 3D view is also presented, that serves as pedagogical tool useful in the learning process. Experimental validation and preliminary evaluation by the medical partner show that our prototype exhibits sufficient stability and realism for a good immersion in the training scene.