Ziv Haskal, MD, an interventional radiologist at University of Virginia Health, developed a virtual reality experience to help physicians at the Charlottesville-based health system learn more about and leverage support for the availability of a less-invasive thyroid treatment.
Dr. Haskal received a partial grant from UVA's Office of Graduate Medical Education for the project, which is part of his ongoing work to establish a VR studio at the university.
The 11-minute virtual reality experience includes a series of high-technology educational materials for physicians, medical students and patients. Aimed at heightening physicians' awareness and interest in the procedure, the VR experience comprises a 360-degree video, inset videos, close-up and animations to teach the viewer more about the thermal ablation procedure.
"The VR experience uniquely places the viewer into the room right next to the operator," said Dr. Haskal, according to a news release emailed to Becker's. "I want interventional radiologists to say, 'I can see myself doing this.' Patients already come from across the country for thyroid ablation. UVA can also be the training center for physicians to learn how to do this procedure."
Ablation of benign thyroid nodules uses heat delivered by a special probe to shrink common noncancerous lumps in the thyroid, which produces less scaring and a quicker recovery time than open surgery. UVA is pioneering the use of the procedure in the U.S.