Healthcare has emerged as one of the top adopters of VR technology in the past few years. 

Virtual reality has emerged as a highly reliable neuro-technology tool in several health fields including neurosurgery. The technological innovations are assisting the surgeons to enhance their surgical techniques and helping neurosurgical teams to augment their understanding of anatomo-functional connectivity of patients.

Upon acquiring Surgical Theater’s Precision Virtual Reality platform for neurological surgery, WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center became the first hospital in West Virginia to do so. This disruptive new mixed-reality technology provides neurosurgeons with a never-before-seen insight into the anatomy and pathology of their patients.

Using the patient’s CT and MRI scans, the surgeons can now walk their patients and family members through a reconstructed, 360-degree VR model. Furthermore, these models help create customized digital treatment plans for patients along with their usability of intraoperative visualization and navigation during complex surgical procedures.

To allow patients to interact with their 360-degree VR models, the Berkeley Medical Center has set up an office with a dedicated virtual reality clinic room. Using a headset, Precision Virtual Reality enables the surgeons and patients to observe a virtual reconstruction of a patient’s anatomy.

It helps the patients to understand the location of their tumors and enables the surgeons to explain the removal process to them. It then further aids in planning the surgical resection using a combination of virtual and augmented reality and also assists during the procedure in the operating room during the actual tumor resection.

“We are very excited to offer Surgical Theater’s virtual reality platform for neurosurgery at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute here in the eastern region. This system will also be invaluable in the training of our medical students and residents here on WVU’s Eastern Campus,” said Jonathan H. Sherman, an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of Surgical Neuro-oncology, Eastern Campus, WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

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