In fully immersive VR, the head mounted display (HMD) presents a virtual image that completely occludes the real-world from the user's field of view, as is seen in the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. VR technologies can be characterized as either non-immersive, such as desktop computers, semi-immersive or fully immersive VR. Technologies that hold promise in accomplishing these aims include virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) enhanced surgery. Any advance in technology that decreases morbidity of the procedure, improves outcomes and decreases length of hospital stay will ultimately also have a beneficial outcome on a given hospital’s bottom line. Many factors play a role in determining hospital pricing including the imaging and lab work-up, medications, operating room instruments, post-surgical care, labor and specialist’s fees. Naturally then, there is a drive to improve efficiency in operating room, not only to improve patient outcomes, but also to bring down costs. Thus, nearly 3% of the nation’s GDP is spent on care involving surgical procedures. Nearly one third of hospital stays include a surgery, and those procedures and post-operative care account for almost half of hospital costs. Key wordsĪugmented Reality, Virtual Reality, 3D imaging, D3D, Radiology IntroductionĪccording to 2015 data, the United States spends 17.2% of its gross domestic product on healthcare and 32.3% of that is spent on hospital stays. As a result, more and more surgeons are attempting AR enhanced operations, even complex neurosurgical procedures.

Despite the challenges, many studies are showing significant benefits of the virtual image to the surgeon. We will examine the challenges of bringing AR into the operating room such as meeting the surgeons’ requirement of optimum ergonomic environments to exercise precise movements. In this article, we will discuss the role of AR in pre-operative planning and will discuss the types of AR used in surgery. One such technology that is beginning to play a role in many different surgical procedures is augmented reality (AR) where a virtual image can supplement the real-world scene to enhance surgery.

Many are hopeful that technological advances will reduce morbidity and lower costs. Nearly 3% of the U.S.’s gross domestic product is spent on surgical care.

Augmented reality essential anatomy