Academic Journal
Mixed reality simulator for ultrasound-guided thyroid nodule radiofrequency ablation: development and technical validation.
| Τίτλος: | Mixed reality simulator for ultrasound-guided thyroid nodule radiofrequency ablation: development and technical validation. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Mather A; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.; Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA., Zachary J; Department of Radiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA., Ospina NS; Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA., Acosta GJ; Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA., Lampotang S; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.; Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA., Samouce C; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. csamouce@ufl.edu.; Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. csamouce@ufl.edu. |
| Πηγή: | International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery [Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg] 2026 Aug; Vol. 21 (8), pp. 1789-1796. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 11. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Validation Study |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 101499225 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1861-6429 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 18616410 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Heidelberg : Springer |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Thyroid Nodule*/surgery , Thyroid Nodule*/diagnostic imaging , Radiofrequency Ablation*/methods , Ultrasonography, Interventional*/methods , Surgery, Computer-Assisted*/methods , Computer Simulation*, Humans ; Phantoms, Imaging |
| Περίληψη: | Purpose: Ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of benign thyroid nodules is an effective, minimally invasive alternative to surgery but has a steep learning curve and limited formal training options. Toward addressing this gap, we developed a mixed reality simulator for thyroid nodule RFA. Methods: We implemented a real-time, voxel-based heat-transfer model of a thyroid nodule that computes temperature, thermal damage, and temperature-dependent impedance within a mixed reality simulator. The model was calibrated and verified with published RFA data from a thermal property-matched thyroid phantom and validated against published ex vivo lesion volumes. The simulator provides configurable nodule size and location, renders RFA ultrasound artifacts and lesion visualization, computes quantitative ablation metrics, and includes an interactive virtual RFA generator interface. Results: Simulated temperature-time curves matched phantom sensor readings with a root mean square error of 1.4 °C. Simulated lesion volumes were within - 7.3% to + 0.9% of the ex vivo reference across 1.0-0.125 mm3 voxel volumes and lesion aspect ratios were lower by 4.7-10.5%. In a post-use survey, a single expert clinician rated visual realism, feedback fidelity, and training utility favorably. Conclusion: The simulator closely reproduced phantom temperature profiles and ex vivo lesion sizes. Its architecture is configurable and extensible to other organs and thermal ablation modalities. Formal educational studies are warranted to evaluate training effectiveness of the simulator. (© 2026. CARS.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Conflict of interest: Aidan Mather: No competing financial or non-financial interests. Joseph Zachary: No competing financial or non-financial interests. Naykky Singh Ospina: No competing financial or non-financial interests. Gonzalo J. Acosta: No competing financial or non-financial interests. Samsun Lampotang: Inventor on US Patent 9,626,805 assigned to the University of Florida that covers some of the technology used in the SMMARTS development platform on which this simulator was developed. Christopher Samouce: No competing financial or non-financial interests. Ethical approval: The usability evaluation involving one expert participant was reviewed and determined exempt by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board (Protocol #: ET00046997). The work otherwise used phantom models and published ex vivo data; no animal studies were performed, and no human or animal tissues were collected. Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from the expert participant prior to participation in the usability evaluation. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Computer simulation; Mixed reality; Radiofrequency ablation; Simulation training; Thermal modeling; Thyroid nodule; Ultrasonography |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260311 Date Completed: 20260917 Latest Revision: 20260917 |
| Update Code: | 20260918 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11548-026-03590-7 |
| PMID: | 41811677 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1861-6429 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s11548-026-03590-7 |