Virtual reality for clinical care and training in congenital diseases

Congenital diseases affect 6% of babies born worldwide. Despite dramatic progress in paediatric surgical procedures and interventions, life expectancy for these children is lower than the average population, as treatment outcomes remain uncertain, and the financial burden of their care on country economies is enormous. Children with birth defects, compared to adult patients with acquired diseases, typically present with a wide range of anatomies and conditions, that are often unique and complex, and that change as the child grows. To assess conditions and plan treatments, clinicians relay heavily on diagnostic imaging, which provides anatomical and functional information on the diseased organs, but that is, however, often still presented as a stack of cross-sectional images or reconstructions on a 2D screen. Thus, it remains challenging even for expert clinicians to interpret routinely acquired images, fully understand the 3D anatomy of the defect and plan the best treatment.
In this grant, we propose to test a virtual reality (VR) platform that will respond to the unmet clinical needs outlined above. The platform will not only improve the understanding of each individual congenital case via its unique realistic, immersive experience, but also allow visualisation of different treatment approaches and possible solutions before the actual procedure is performed on the child. Multiple participants will interact in the VR environment, intrinsically enhancing communication amongst healthcare professionals and with patients/parents. Finally, it will become an invaluable training tool, with a unique repository of congenital cases to benefit the new generation of specialised trainees. We will leverage our position at UCL & Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children to test and validate the impact and effectiveness of VR in clinical and specialty training applications, with the aim of
increasing asset value and drawing a business plan for commercialisation.