According to reports, the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and IIT Delhi worked together to create an AI-based simulator that will be used to educate and assess aspiring neurosurgeons in minimally invasive microscopic and endoscopic surgical techniques. Experts say that its goal is to alter the way neurosurgical skills—actions that significantly alter brain surgery—are assessed and observed. The approach sets a standard for training and assessment procedures in the field and significantly lessens the evaluation load on neurosurgeons.
“In the current apprenticeship model, the neurosurgeons learn by observing and assisting an expert inside the operating room,” said Dr. Ashish Suri, principle investigator of the neuro-engineering facility and director of the neurosurgery department at AIIMS Delhi. The lack of effective training is making the traditional approach to training more and more expensive. Intelligent smart surgical simulators are a useful substitute for the apprenticeship model in order to address these inherent issues and deliver efficient training.
He added that developing neurosurgical simulators and tracking surgical proficiency in the field of brain surgery depend heavily on 3D printing and artificial intelligence. By creating highly customized and detailed brain models through 3D printing, doctors can practice procedures on actual anatomical structures. Using real-time feedback, AI deep learning and machine learning algorithms can assess a surgeon’s performance during these simulations in terms of accuracy, speed, and decision-making.
Prof. Srinivas, the director of the institute, thinks that this innovative project has the potential to alter the way that aspiring surgeons are taught.
“The collaboration between IIT Delhi and AIIMS through this project has yielded significant results in the automation of skills evaluation in microscopic and endoscopic neurosurgery training using computer vision and AI/ML,” stated Prof. Prem Kumar Kalra, who is headed the computer science department at IIT Delhi and is one of the project’s collaborators. This will encourage more study into the advancement of technology in medical training and education.