Elucis virtual reality medical modeling on display at RSNA
The platform was developed by Realize Medical to address the limitations of 3D printing
Realize Medical is going to be exhibiting its Elucis all-in-one virtual reality medical modeling platform for visualization and remote collaboration at RSNA in Chicago. Elucis was developed at the Ottawa Hospital to address the limitations of 3D printing.
“There are several reasons 3D printing is not more widespread and primarily only done in large major academic hospitals. We want to change that and make patient-specific 3D models more accessible to all healthcare professionals and their patients,” said CEO Justin Sutherland.
One of the first steps in creating 3D models of patient anatomy is segmenting the region of interest (ROI). It’s also one of the most time-consuming aspects of the process. While many modeling software platforms provide automatic segmentation tools, patient anatomy is often atypical, so automatic segmentation fails. In these cases, radiologists must manually segment each layer of that image, which takes a long time. Elucis addresses this by providing true 3D user input so clinicians have full control of the creation process, reducing the time to create 3D models to minutes, even for rare anatomy.
Another challenge is the cost of the printers and consumables and finding specialized staff to use the complex software. Designed for radiologists and clinicians, Elucis provides digital models without losing the benefits of 3D. In fact, virtual reality medical modeling removes many of the limitations of the real world. You can make anatomy large enough to walk inside it, make parts of anatomy transparent and share models instantly with anyone anywhere in the world.
Medical 3D printing experts also highlight the importance of being situated close to surgeons. With Elucis, you can discuss 3D models with stakeholders from anywhere in the world and still feel like you’re sitting next to them.
“The only way you can truly understand the benefits of VR (and Elucis) is by experiencing it first-hand,” said VP Sales and Operations, Sonya Deveau. “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitization of healthcare and the adoption of mixed reality in hospitals, and now that we have the opportunity for in-person conferences to resume, we can finally show thousands of medical professionals the power of Elucis.”
