New Medical Teaching Platform Uses 3D Holograms of CT and MRI Scans

GigXR, Inc. has introduced DICOM XR Library, powered by INTRAVISION XR, that renders a complete set of hyper-realistic 3D medical imagery derived from MRI and CT scans for use in teaching, training, and simulation. This empowers nursing and medical schools, hospitals, and the Department of Defense with the all-new ability to leverage holographic medical imagery in anatomy and pathophysiology curricula. 

“As a surgical oncologist for 25 years, I relied on imaging to perform complex surgeries. I also saw firsthand the need for better imaging technology,” said David Pearlstone, MD, CEO at DICOM Director. “In the operating room, I was guided by what was essentially a picture taped to a light during a six-plus-hour liver resection. By partnering with GigXR, we are ensuring that tomorrow’s medical professionals will work from more detailed, sophisticated content from day one.”

By providing a 360-degree, in-depth look at how pathology and injury manifests in diagnostic imaging, DICOM XR Library better prepares medical and nursing students and professionals to assess and diagnose a real-life patient. The application also adds pathophysiology to the vital skill of reading and interpreting test results by showing holograms with full-dimensional anatomy. 

DICOM XR Library is delivered by the Gig Immersive Learning Platform, enterprise software for institution-wide immersive teaching, training, and simulation across levels, programs, and departments. Managed through the platform’s dashboard, instructors can curate a custom library of complementary applications for a simple, streamlined way to incorporate holographic content into their curricula. This further empowers learners to:

• Reinforce general anatomy learning by exploring body structures in HoloHuman, a 3D human cadaver made in collaboration with Elsevier, prior to seeing exactly how anatomy translates to  real-life medical imaging in DICOM XR Library. 
• Visualize pathophysiology immersively in high-fidelity 3D with the Insight Series, developed by ANIMA RES. Learners can view accurately modeled, holographic animations of the heart, lung and kidney in the Insight Series applications prior to assessing conditions and pathologies through 3D MRI and CT scans in DICOM XR Library.
• Replicate real-world diagnostic processes by examining holographic standardized patient scenarios in HoloPatient. With DICOM XR Library, learners can make a likely diagnosis of the patient prior to reviewing the corresponding 3D medical imagery. 
• Better evaluate and apply actual test results to clinical simulation in HoloScenarios, an application co-created with Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University of Michigan, and Morlen Health, a subsidiary of Northwest Permanente, P.C. DICOM XR Library offers a 3D perspective to complement the holographic diagnostic tools built into HoloScenarios.

Multiple learners can view any angle or cross-section of a medical imaging hologram, resize or rotate it at will, and view or hide abnormalities, pathologies and injuries - collaboratively and from anywhere in the world. Instructors and learners simply log into the Gig Immersive Learning Platform to access DICOM XR Library and its ever-expanding catalog of applications that present real-world cases. Using a mixed reality headset or any Android or iOS mobile phone or tablet, learners can observe and interact with immersive content in their own safe-to-fail environment. 

“Peer-reviewed research has proven the efficacy of mixed reality training while studies conducted by our customers show how much learners prefer holograms to analog teaching methods. As healthcare institutions go from proof of concepts to scaled immersive simulation using mixed reality, the Gig Immersive Learning Platform scales with them in both breadth of content and technological delivery,” said Jared Mermey, CEO of GigXR. “It is true enterprise scale technology delivering hyper-realistic XR training experiences made by incredible partners like DICOM Director and through collaborations with the world’s foremost healthcare institutions.”

DICOM Director joins 3D4Medical from Elsevier and ANIMA RES as the latest third-party content partner to distribute enterprise training applications on the Gig Immersive Learning Platform. Designed specifically for pedagogy, the platform enables enterprise-scale healthcare institutions to build full immersive curricula that can be managed from a single dashboard.