Enhancing dermatology: the current landscape and future prospects of augmented and virtual reality technologies

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 132 - 136, 15.01.2024

Şule Gençoğlu

https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1358284

Abstract

This article aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status and future potential of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies in the field of dermatology. We conducted an extensive review of the existing literature, encompassing studies and case reports related to the utilization of AR/VR in dermatology. This analysis encompassed diverse applications, including medical education, diagnostics, and dermatologic surgery, to offer a holistic view of their current implementations. Despite the significant interest generated within the dermatological community, the integration of AR/VR technologies in dermatology has not advanced at the same pace as in surgery. Our review underscores the current applications of AR/VR, which encompass improving medical education through interactive simulations, enhancing diagnostic precision, and facilitating complex dermatologic surgical procedures. Additionally, we address the challenges and constraints associated with their practical implementation in clinical settings. Augmented and virtual reality technologies possess immense potential to transform the landscape of dermatology. While their adoption has been gradual, these technologies have showcased their ability to enhance medical education, diagnostics, and surgical interventions. The future holds promising prospects for further developments in AR/VR applications, positioning them as valuable assets for dermatologists and aspiring dermatologists alike. However, it is imperative to address issues related to accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and patient acceptance to foster their widespread integration into clinical practice.

Keywords

Augmented reality, virtual reality, dermatology, digital dermatology, medical education, diagnostics

References

• Azuma RT. A survey of augmented reality. Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments. 1997;6(4):355-385.
• Reznick RK, MacRae H. Medical education-teaching surgical skills-changes in the wind. N Engl J Med. 2006;355(25):2664-2669.
• Obagi Z, Rundle C, Dellavalle R. Widening the scope of virtual reality and augmented reality in dermatology. Dermatol Online J. 2020;26(6):13030.
• Sharma P, Vleugels RA, Nambudiri VE. Augmented reality in dermatology: are we ready for AR? J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;81(5):1216-1222.
• Prado G. Kovarik C. Cutting edge technology in dermatology: virtual reality and artificial ıntelligence. Cutis. 2018;101(3):236-237.
• Noll C, Haussermann B, von Jan U, et al. Mobile augmented reality in dermatology. Biomed Eng-Biomed Tech. 2014;59(S1): S1216-S1220.
• Noll C, von Jan U, Raap U, Albrecht U-V. Mobile augmented reality as a feature for self-oriented, blended learning in medicine: randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth uHealth. 2017;5(3):e7943.
• Aldridge RB, Li XA, Ballerini L, Rees JL. Teaching dermatology using 3-dimensional virtual reality. Arch Dermatol. 2010; 146(10):1184-1185.
• Kantor, J. Application of google glass to mohs micrographic surgery: a pilot study in 120 patients. Dermatol Surg. 2015; 41(2):288-289.
• Gladstone HB, Raugi GJ, Berg D, Berkley J, Weghorst S, Ganter M. Virtual reality for dermatologic surgery: virtually a reality in the 21st century. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000;42(1):106-112.
• Zhang S, Blalock TW. Measuring cutaneous lesions: Trends in clinical practice. Dermatol Surg. 2018;44(3):383-387.
• Federman DG, Kirsner RS. The abilities of primary care physicians in dermatology: implications for quality of care. Am J Manag Care. 1997;3(10):1487-1492.
• Garg A, Haley H-L, Hatem D. Modern moulage evaluating the use of 3-dimensional prosthetic mimics in a dermatology teaching program for second-year medical students. Arch Dermatol. 2010;146(2):143-146.
• Culp MB, Lunsford NB. Melanoma among non-hispanic black Americans. Prev Chronic Dis. 2019;16:E79 doi: 10.5888/pcd16.180640
• Caryn Rabin R. Dermatology’s skin color problem. The New York Times. 2020;p.1.
• Ghorbani A, Natarajan V, Coz D, Liu Y. DermGAN: Synthetic generation of clinical skin images with pathology. In Proceedings of the Machine Learning for Health NeurIPS Workshop. Proc Mach Learn Res. 2020;116:155-170.
• Horsham C, Dutton-Regester K, Antrobus J, Goldston, A et al. A virtual reality game to change sun protection behavior and prevent cancer: user-centered design approach. JMIR Serious Games. 2021;9(1):e24652.
• Virtual Derm Is a Health Education app, Meant to Provide a Training Platform to Help Medical Students and Dermatologists Training Their Observational, Diagnostic and Treatment/Care Skills for a Better Patient Care in Dermatology. Version 2.0, 2020. Updated June 2, 2020. Accessed August 23. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.HumanGames.VirtualDerm2&hl=en&gl=US
• Hale E. Handbook of dermatologic surgery. Springer: New York, NY, USA, 2014.
• Khor WS, Baker B, Amin K. Augmented and virtual reality in surgery-the digital surgical environment: applications, limitations and legal pitfalls. Ann Transl Med. 2016;4.
• Berg D, Raugi G, Gladstone H. Virtual reality simulators for dermatologic surgery: measuring their validity as a teaching tool. Dermatol Surg. 2001;27(4):370-374.
• Higgins S, Feinstein S, Hawkins M. Virtual reality to ımprove the experience of the mohs patient-a prospective interventional study. Dermatol Surg. 2019;45(7):1009-1018.
• Rodriguez-Jimenez P, Ruiz-Rodriguez R. Augmented reality in Mohs micrographic surgery. Int J Dermatol. 2020; 59(10):E22-E23.
• Young AT, Xiong ML, Pfau J, et al. Artificial intelligence in dermatology: a primer. J Investig Dermatol. 2020;140(7):1504-1512.
• Francese R, Frasca M, Risi M. A mobile augmented reality application for supporting real-time skin lesion analysis based on deep learning. J Real-Time Image Process. 2021;18(5):1247-1259.
• Freeman K, Dinnes J, Chuchu N. Algorithm based smartphone apps to assess risk of skin cancer in adults: Systematic review of diagnostic accuracy studies. Bmj-Br Med J. 2020;368:m127.
• Sun MD, Kentley J, Mehta P, Dusza S, Halpern AC, Rotemborg V. Accuracy of commercially available smartphone applications for the detection of melanoma. Br J Dermatol. 2022;186(4):744.
• Chuchu N, Takwoingi Y, Dinnes J. Smartphone applications for triaging adults with skin lesions that are suspicious for melanoma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;(12). doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013192
• Srinivasan MA, Basdogan C. Haptics in virtual environments: taxonomy, research status, and challenges. Comput Graph. 1997;21(4):393-404.
• Waldron KJ, Enedah C, Gladstone H. Stiffness and texture perception for teledermatology. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2005;111:579-585.
• Kim K, Lee S. Perception-based 3D tactile rendering from a single image for human skin examinations by dynamic touch. Ski Res Technol. 2015;21(2):164-174.
• Kim K. Roughness based perceptual analysis towards digital skin imaging system with haptic feedback. Ski Res Technol. 2016;22(3):334-340.
• Parsons D, MacCallum K. Current perspectives on augmented reality in medical education: applications affordances and limitations. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021;12:77-91. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S249891
• Xu X, Mangina E, Campbell AG. HMD-based virtual and augmented reality in medical education: a systematic review. Front Virtual Real. 2021;2:692103.
• Kassutto SM, Baston C, Clancy C. Virtual, augmented, and alternate reality in medical education: socially distanced but fully ımmersed. ATS Sch. 2021;2(4):651-664.