Cyber-physical system for training and skill transfer in endovascular intervention

Simulator based training in endovascular intervention is actually done representing human vasculature morphology in software or physically by using silicone blood vessel models. In the first case, as software based system, quantitative evaluation is possible and a wide variety of virtual instruments is available but it presents mismatches between the virtual instrument motions with respect to the virtual blood vessels due that is based on real instruments motion encoding. In the second case, a wide variety of real instruments can be used in vasculature models reproducing accurately human morphology and physical characteristics, but user profiling for quantitative evaluation of technical skills and skill transfer has not been solved yet. Recently photoelastic materials for vasculature modeling and motion capture technologies for catheter motion and operator hands has been investigated to add these properties to in-vitro vasculature models in a cyber-physical system. In this research we present some preliminary user studies results of this cyber-physical system for endovascular surgery evaluation.