Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41062869›Full record

ArticleNeurosurgical review2025

Development and external validation of a mixed-reality aneurysm clipping simulator.

Matthias Gmeiner, Andreas Schrempf, Thomas Thurner, Wolfgang Fenz, Bertram Sabrowsky-Hirsch, Michael Giretzlehner, Robert Prückl, Stefan Schaffelhofer, Zoltan Major, Sebastian Lämmermann and 7 more

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Neurosurgical review, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Matthias GmeinerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Wagner-Jauregg-Weg 15, 4020, Linz, Austria. matthias.gmeiner@kepleruniklinikum.at.
Andreas SchrempfResearch Group for Surgical Simulators Linz, Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Thomas ThurnerResearch Group for Surgical Simulators Linz, Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Wolfgang FenzRISC Software GmbH, Unit Medical Informatics, Softwarepark 32a, Hagenberg, Austria.
Bertram Sabrowsky-HirschRISC Software GmbH, Unit Medical Informatics, Softwarepark 32a, Hagenberg, Austria.
Michael GiretzlehnerRISC Software GmbH, Unit Medical Informatics, Softwarepark 32a, Hagenberg, Austria.
Robert PrücklcortEXplore GmbH, Industriezeile 35, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Stefan SchaffelhofercortEXplore GmbH, Industriezeile 35, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Zoltan MajorJohannes Kepler University Linz, Institute of Polymer Product Engineering, Altenberger Strasse 69, Linz, Austria.
Sebastian LämmermannJohannes Kepler University Linz, Institute of Polymer Product Engineering, Altenberger Strasse 69, Linz, Austria.
Melanie BaumgartnerR'n'B Consulting GmbH, Steingasse 6a, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Lukas DrabauerAlpha Medical Concepts E.U., 4060, Leonding, Austria.
Jozsef NagyEulerian-Solutions E.U. Leonfeldnerstraße 245, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Giuseppe EspositoDepartment of Neurosurgery and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Elisa ColomboDepartment of Neurosurgery and Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nico Stroh-HollyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Wagner-Jauregg-Weg 15, 4020, Linz, Austria.
Andreas GruberDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kepler University Hospital, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Wagner-Jauregg-Weg 15, 4020, Linz, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nowadays, surgical treatment of cerebral aneurysms remains one of the most demanding disciplines in neurosurgery. The increasing shift toward endovascular interventions leads to a decline in open surgical cases. This fact leaves residents and young neurosurgeons with fewer training opportunities and limited to complex and high-risk aneurysms. There is a growing need for realistic simulation tools to enhance neurosurgical training and preoperative planning. We developed and externally validated a patient-specific mixed-reality simulator for cerebral aneurysm clipping, during the research project "Medical EDUcation in Surgical Aneurysm Clipping (MEDUSA)". Our approach combines physical phantoms of the skull and brain tissue with virtual intracranial blood vessels, including a virtual intracranial aneurysm. Real surgical instruments provide an immersive training environment featuring integrated blood flow simulation for evaluating clipping strategies. A life-sized skull with silicone brain lobes is mounted in a standard neurosurgical head clamp. Optical tracking synchronizes the position of a real clip applier and an emulated surgical microscope with the corresponding virtual environment, allowing true mixed-reality interaction. After aneurysm clipping, blood flow is automatically simulated to assess residual aneurysms or stenoses of the parental vessels. We conducted an external validation with 40 neurosurgeons at two international events. Participants completed a 32-item questionnaire evaluating face and content validity on a 5-point Likert scale. Participants' surgical experience ranged from novice to expert (> 15 years). Average ratings for simulator realism and educational value were high, with mean scores between 3.13 and 4.25. The highest ratings were for the blood flow simulation (4.25) and the simulator's potential for preoperative planning (4.20). Most participants agreed that the physical and virtual components were valuable and that the simulator should be integrated into neurosurgical training and standard surgical workflows. Our mixed-reality simulator achieved robust face and content validity among a diverse group of neurosurgeons. Combining real surgical instruments with a deformable virtual aneurysm model, including blood flow simulation, offers a high level of realism and immediate objective feedback.

Indexed as

Computer SimulationIntracranial AneurysmNeurosurgical ProceduresSimulation TrainingClinical CompetenceHumansMaleNeurosurgeonsSurgical InstrumentsVirtual RealityAneurysm clippingBlood flow simulationMixed-realityValidation

Identifiers

PMID41062869
PMCPMC12508002

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.