UCLA Neurosurgery, led by Neil Martin, is using VR in surgery planning, integrating the Oculus Rift with Surgical Theater’s 3D “SNAP” surgery navigation device. (See ApplySci’s April, 2014 description of Surgical Theater’s technology.) The hope is to be able improve precision and outcomes, and decrease surgical time.
The VR scene is based on patient CT and MRI scans, allowing the surgeon to enter the virtual brain, examine the tumor or aneurysm, and plan surgical strategy and operative steps. By preparing with this visual representation of the brain, surgeons might be better able to protect and preserve areas that control motor and language function during procedures.
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