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Training surgeons on the bodies of deceased persons no longer necessary thanks to Twente-American invention
The Enschede-based company JJ-Medtech, together with its American partner Viomerse, has developed a system that allows surgeons to train for operations and perform them in practice. Using the system makes practicing on the bodies of deceased patients or animals unnecessary.
Training is performed on anatomical models made to scale and with the correct composition. Doctors in training can watch along simultaneously.
Projection into spectacle lenses
The VioVision XR-S system is an advanced headset – a special set of glasses – that surgeons wear during a procedure or training. Whereas doctors currently have to look at multiple screens at the same time, this system projects all relevant images directly in front of their eyes into the spectacle lenses. “Normally, a surgeon looks at several monitors at the same time. On these, they see X-rays, ultrasound images, MRI and CT scans, or patient monitoring data,” explains founder Jos Groeskamp (68). “With the headset, those separate screens disappear. The operating doctor sees everything directly in front of them in the lenses, while also continuing to see their hands and instruments.”
Lifelike anatomical models
According to Groeskamp, the real innovation lies in the combination with so-called phantoms. These are lifelike anatomical models made of hydrogel and synthetic bone. They realistically mimic human anatomy, including tumors, blood vessels, and specific organs.
Fewer complications
This shifts surgical training from the so-called cadaver lab, where practice takes place on the bodies of deceased people, to virtually any conceivable location. “You can put this system on a table, at home or in a hospital, and practice endlessly,” says Groeskamp. The major advantage: repetition. “It has been scientifically proven that the more often you train a technique in advance, the better the outcome and the fewer complications.”
Remote monitoring
In addition, the headset enables remote training. Via a Zoom internet connection, dozens – sometimes hundreds – of doctors can watch along on their computers. They see exactly the same images as the surgeon sees. Instructors can give live instructions, even annotate the image the student sees, and verbal communication is also possible.
From nurse to entrepreneur
Behind the system stands an entrepreneur with a long medical career. Jos Groeskamp, born in Hengevelde and raised in Eibergen, started in 1975 as a nurse at the former Stadsmaten Hospital in Enschede. He worked in the cardiac intensive care unit and later managed the cardiac catheterization lab at the former Stadsmaten, now MST.
Own company
At the age of thirty, he switched to industry, where he held international positions. Ten years ago, he founded JJ-Medtech. The company has four employees and focuses primarily on medical technology related to cancer diagnostics and treatment, and now also on the development of training systems for surgeons.
Not for sale, but lease
The system is not sold, but offered on a lease basis to hospitals and private clinics. According to Groeskamp, the annual costs amount to 24,000 euros. The choice for leasing is deliberate. The technology is developing rapidly and is constantly being adapted. “There are software updates and hardware adjustments every time. That is all included in the lease.”
First experiences
The VioVision XR-S system is in the final testing phase, but is already being used in practice. At the University Hospital in Ghent, interventional radiotherapist-oncologist Prof. Ben Vanneste works with the latest version of the system. Groeskamp: “He uses the headset during every procedure, among other things to allow colleagues to watch along remotely.”
American collaboration
The technology was not developed in Enschede alone. JJ-Medtech works closely with the American company Viomerse. The ambitions are high. “The market is enormous, actually immeasurable,” says Groeskamp, who attends many international medical conferences in connection with the market introduction. It remains to be seen there whether the combination of headset and phantoms will actually become a new standard in the training of surgeons and their teams.