[Clinical aspects of a virtual operating room for the prediction of operative interventions in some disease of the middle ear].

Clinical aspects of creating a software system for simulation and prediction of operative interventions and hearing function changes are considered. The system will make simulation and prediction transparent and convenient for the user. The technical challenge is to create mediation languages which enforce rigorous mathematical computation while supporting intuitive behaviour. The prevalent textual interface of command lines and pull-down menus is replaced by physical behaviour within an environment. The system is based on new possibilities of computer-integrated environments for problem solving such as virtual environments and it will be presented in a form of a virtual operating room. The following aspects are taken into consideration: a model of the middle ear, database for existing methods of operative interventions, x-ray and computed tomography imaging of the temporal bone, determination and localization of otosclerosis foci, modeling and determination of acoustic parameters for transplantation materials, simulation and prognosis of potential complications.