Description: Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a rare but major complication that can occur during twin pregnancies with a shared placenta. The treatment of choice for TTTS is called fetoscopic laser ablation, which involves using a small laser to remove the unwanted vessels which lead to the condition. Training surgeons to treat TTTS is a difficult task given its rarity, the complexity of the procedure and because it is only performed at specialized surgical centres like Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. This image is a still from a digital, 3D simulator meant to help overcome these barriers to training. By providing learners with a digital sandbox that replicates the surgical environment, they are able to learn the anatomical and procedural knowledge necessary to successfully complete the procedure in real life, increasing the speed of their learning and, over time, patient access to the procedure.

Why did you conduct this research? Digital, video-game-like simulators are a proven education tool, but there isn’t a clear understanding of how the visuals of these digital tools can change how well users learn. I was curious about how to best leverage video game development for medical education and wanted to test if simplified 3D visuals might help new users learn more effectively—much like how simplified graphics or illustrations in instruction booklets can help us build furniture, models and LEGO sets more easily.

Technique: The image is a still from the simulator running on a PC. It was developed in Unity, with 3D models created in Autodesk Maya and Pixologic ZBrush.

Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at U of T for funding, my content advisors Dr. Rory Windrim and Dr. Julia Kfouri, and my supervisors Professor Nick Woolridge and Professor Michael Corrin.