Object. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of ventriculostomy catheter placement on a head- and hand-tracked high-resolution and high-performance virtual reality and haptic technology workstation.

Methods. Seventy-eight fellows and residents performed simulated ventriculostomy catheter placement on an ImmersiveTouch system. The virtual catheter was placed into a virtual patient’s head derived from a computed tomography data set. Participants were allowed one attempt each. The distance from the tip of the catheter to the Monro foramen was measured.

Results. The mean distance (6 standard deviation) from the final position of the catheter tip to the Monro foramen was 16.09 mm (6 7.85 mm).

Conclusions. The accuracy of virtual ventriculostomy catheter placement achieved by participants using the simulator is comparable to the accuracy reported in a recent retrospective evaluation of free-hand ventriculostomy placements in which the mean distance from the catheter tip to the Monro foramen was 16 mm (6 9.6 mm).

(DOI: 10.3171/JNS-07/09/0515)

Keywords: haptic technology, neurosurgical simulation,
ventriculostomy, virtual reality