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Comparison between pre-mortem and post-mortem cadaveric images for use with augmented reality headsets during dissection

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Abstract

Purpose

Medical training has undergone many transformations to incorporate diagnostic imaging along side anatomical education. Post-mortem computed tomography (CT) scanning of body donors prior to dissection has been proposed. However, it poses challenges secondary to the embalming process and other post-mortem physiological changes that significantly alter the imaging quality. The purposes of this study were to compare the accuracy of pathology identification on pre- and post-mortem CT scans of body donors and to assess the integration of those scans in a dissection-based course, where these images were overlaid onto body donors using augmented reality (AR).

Methods

Participants in this study included 35 fourth year medical students, 5 radiology residents and 3 radiologists. A convergent, parallel mixed methods design was employed with quantitative measures that included statistical analyses of a double-blinded comparison of pathological lesions recognition, on both image sets, the group responses to a study participant survey and the login access data from imaging repository. The study also included qualitative analysis of post-elective structured interviews.

Results

The double-blinded comparison revealed that staff radiologists can only identify, on post-mortem images, 54.8% of the pathologies that they were able to detect on the pre-mortem scans. Analyses of the surveys and login access data reveal that 60% of radiology residents and 56% of students preferred pre-mortem scans and used those scans more often than post-mortem scans (67 access vs 36, respectively). However, post-mortem scans were significantly preferred when used to overlay onto body donors using AR (p = 0.0047).

Conclusion

These results show that post-mortem imaging can be valuable alongside pre-mortem imaging, as they represent the most concordance between the anatomical structures and pathologies seen on the images and what is being dissected.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to than Dr. Marija Popovic and Dr. Joanne Alfieri for their help acquiring post-mortem CT scans of the body donors, Mr. Robert L’Heureux, Mr. Jamie Brisbois and Mr. Joseph Dube for their assistance in the selection of body donors, and Dr. Nicole Ventura for her assistance in the qualitative analysis. The authors would also like to thank the Institute for Health Sciences Education for its financial support (Class of Medicine 1974 Faculty Scholar for Teaching Excellence & Innovation in Medical Education as well as The Centre for Medical Education Innovation and Research Seed Fund (to GPJCN)). Finally, the authors would like to express their gratitude to individuals who donated their body for the purposes of educating future healthcare professionals.

Funding

Institute for Health Sciences Education for its financial support (Class of Medicine 1974 Faculty Scholar for Teaching Excellence & Innovation in Medical Education as well as The Centre for Medical Education Innovation and Research Seed Fund (to GPJCN)).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Fardad Jabbary Aslany & Liang Chen

  2. School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Kimberly McBain

  3. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jeremy O’Brien

  4. Division of Anatomical Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Geoffroy P. J. C. Noel

  5. Institute of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Geoffroy P. J. C. Noel

  6. Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Medical Teaching Facility, University of California, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093-0604, USA

    Geoffroy P. J. C. Noel

Authors
  1. Fardad Jabbary Aslany
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  2. Kimberly McBain
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  3. Liang Chen
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  4. Jeremy O’Brien
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  5. Geoffroy P. J. C. Noel
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Contributions

FJA: data analysis, manuscript writing/editing. KMB: data collection and management, manuscript editing. LC: data collection, data analysis. JOB: project development, manuscript editing. GPJCN: protocol/project development, data management, manuscript writing/editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Geoffroy P. J. C. Noel.

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Ethical approval

As part of this research, ethics approval was obtained from McGill University, Faculty of Medicine Institutional Review Board, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (IRB Study Number A12-E82-17B). Prior to data collection, all study participants provided informed consent.

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Jabbary Aslany, F., McBain, K., Chen, L. et al. Comparison between pre-mortem and post-mortem cadaveric images for use with augmented reality headsets during dissection. Surg Radiol Anat 45, 1311–1319 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-023-03239-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-023-03239-z

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