Through previous and concurrent efforts, we have developed a fully virtual environment to provide procedural training of otologic surgical technique. The virtual environment is based on high-resolution volumetric data of the regional anatomy. This volumetric data helps drive an interactive multi-sensory, i.e., visual (stereo), aural (stereo), and tactile simulation environment. Subsequently, we have extended our efforts to support the training of neurosurgical procedural technique as part of the CNS simulation initiative.

The goal of this multi-level development is to deliberately study the integration of simulation technologies into the neurosurgical curriculum and to determine their efficacy in teaching minimally invasive cranial and skull base approaches.

We discuss issues of biofidelity as well as our methods to provide objective, quantitative automated assessment for the residents.

We conclude with a discussion of our experiences by reporting on preliminary formative pilot studies and proposed approaches to take the simulation to the next level through additional validation studies.

We have presented our efforts to translate an otologic simulation environment for use in the neurosurgical curriculum. We have demonstrated the initial proof of principles and define the steps to integrate and validate the system as an adjuvant to the neurosurgical curriculum.