Endoscopic surgery simulation in a virtual environment.

The minimally invasive nature of endoscopic surgery allows operations to be performed on patients through small incisions, often under local anaesthesia. Patient recovery times and cosmetic detriment are thus greatly reduced, while overall quality of care is improved. Presently, surgeons are trained to perform endosurgical procedures in a number of ways: practising with surgical training devices, using animal models and assisting experienced surgeons. In this paper, the focus is on answering the key question: "Can virtual environment technology assist surgeons in training and maintaining endoscopic surgery skills?" Initial developments towards surgical simulators have clearly demonstrated the great potential of virtual environment technology for surgical training purposes. Breakthroughs towards surgery are expected within the next 5 to 10 years.