VR application for medical radiation protection training

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has developed a virtual reality (VR) application for medical radiation protection training. The application can be used to train the correct handling of different components for the protection of patients and medical personnel during an examination in a virtual intervention room.

Application visualises ionising radiation

The VR application visualises ionising, high-energy radiation as it occurs under real-world conditions in a cardiac catheterisation laboratory. For example, scattered radiation and the shielding effect of radiation protection measures are also visible. The application also calculates in real time the effective dose that those present in the room are exposed to.

In the VR application, ionising radiation becomes visible

A lead apron, thyroid protection, goggles, and cap can be used to simulate radiation protection during the examination. Various projections, under-table shields, and mobile shields can also be used. Virtual displays continuously provide information about the values for organ dose and effective dose.

Test the influence of various parameters on radiation dose in the virtual intervention room

The influence of different technical parameters on the radiation dose can also be tested and simulated in the virtual intervention room without endangering oneself or others. For example, the distance of the medical staff from the isocentre of the C-arm or from the detector can be changed – as can the frame rate and the collimation diameter. In a similar way, the optimal behaviour for cone-beam CT images and the influence of the hands on the automatic exposure control (AEC) can also be trained.

Employees of the BfS and medical professionals supported the development of the application

Two types of intervention are pre-programmed

Two types of intervention have been pre-programmed for the application: coronary angiography and carotid stenting. At the end of each use, a summary of the dose values for the patient and the user is displayed.

The VR environment was developed by Northdocks GmbH together with the BfS. The application was developed within the framework of the departmental research programme of the Federal Environment Ministry. The application is available for download free of charge to all interested parties. The scripts developed for the BfS project were published as open-source code on a GIT server.

VR goggles, including controller and a computer or laptop with the following minimum requirements are required:

• Intel Core i7 processor of the first generation or equivalent
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card or equivalent
• 16 GB of RAM
• Windows 10
• Wi-Fi or cable connection to VR goggles