Virtual surgery training company Revinax has helped assist a surgical procedure by implementing mixed reality technology.
Virtual surgeon
A team of surgeons performing a spinal osteosynthesis procedure used MicroSoft’s HoleLens glasses to get extra information throughout the surgery. The team was led by Dr Lonjon, a neurosurgeon from the Montpellier University Hospital in France.
When he raised his head the surgeon performing the procedure had direct access to a 3D video of a similar surgery, performed by Dr Lonjon. The surgeon was also able to consult patient imagery and have all relevant information within view.
Dr Nicolas Lonjon, said: “This is the perfect tool for any surgery. As a teaching surgeon, I can create my own tutorials to deliver them to students before and, now also, during surgery. They can use the tutorial as a reminder during the operation. The patient imagery and planning feature also avoids unnecessary distractions: we now no longer need to check these data on the computer during the operation.”
Dr Maxime Ros, neurosurgeon and co-founder of Revinax, said: “When it comes to surgery, a certain amount of “watch and learn” will always be necessary. Virtual reality and mixed reality provide new opportunities to efficiently train surgeons by giving them a direct view of the operating site. Students can now observe the entire procedure from the perspective of the performing surgeon.”
Revinax creates real-life tutorials for surgeons. The company uses 3D footage of real procedures that are recorded with Revinax equipment. The footage offers a detailed view of the surgery with is filmed from the teacher’s perspective. To access the tutorials you need a VR headset and a smartphone to download the app.