![]() ![]() “Seeing it on the screen, in 3-D, really helps put a patient’s mind at ease.” “This software really helps them understand what it is they are about to undergo,” he said. Veeravagu said some patients have chosen Stanford over other nearby hospitals solely because of the VR technology. ![]() For Rodoni’s surgery, “I had the 3-D rendering of her anatomy and could match that up with the surgical microscopic view, something I can’t do with any other technology.” “It has much, much more detail,” said Steinberg, the Bernard and Ronni Lacroute-William Randolph Hearst Professor in Neurosurgery and Neurosciences. Surgeons typically use video feeds while they are operating, but the new VR technology adds a three-dimensional view which they can superimpose on the real-time video. Collins said the technology may soon be available for the rest of the body. Stanford Medicine doctors are using the VR technology for the brain and spinal cord because these organs are stable and lend themselves to imagery - unlike other body parts, which move with blood flow and breathing. “But with VR, we are able to immerse patients in their own anatomy, so they can very clearly get a sense of what’s going on.” “Traditionally, doctors can show their patient a standard physical model of the brain or of the spine and say, ‘On this model, imagine your tumor is located here,’” she said. She can also download the imagery onto a thumb drive and give it to the patient as a souvenir. Being able to see the problem in three dimensions reassures them, she said, adding that it’s especially useful for young patients or those who don’t understand English well. To show patients what’s going on inside their skulls, Malie Collins, MS, senior program lead for the VR program, rolls a mobile unit, complete with headset, into an examination or hospital room. “Had I not known about it, it could have been a real disaster.” “You couldn’t see it on conventional imaging,” he said. Steinberg noted that in Rodoni’s case, an artery was attached to the top of the aneurysm. ![]() This way it’s a three-dimensional rendering.” “Before, we didn’t have the ability to reconstruct it in three dimensions we’d have to do it in our minds. “We can plan out how we can approach a tumor and avoid critical areas like the motor cortex or the sensory areas,” said Steinberg, professor and chair of neurosurgery. The three-dimensional aspect of the imagery eases surgeons’ planning and improves the accuracy of the surgery, with the aim of producing safer procedures. ![]() “It’s a window into the brain - and a window into the brain of the particular patient we’re going to operate on,” said Anand Veeravagu, MD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery and the head of the Stanford Neurosurgical Simulation Lab. Because they’re practicing on images from the actual patient, rather than a generic brain, they can map out the surgery ahead of time. Surgeons make their way down to the Neurosurgical Simulation Lab to practice an upcoming operation. They can also progress, as avatars, through the steps for removing a tumor or fixing an aneurysm, starting outside the skull. The system allows instructors to highlight different components of the brain, such as arteries to show an aneurysm, bones to show skull deformities or tissue to show a tumor, while rotating the view to illustrate how a tumor or aneurysm looks from different angles. Once the residents don headsets, an instructor - who shows up as an avatar in a white coat - can lead them inside the brain of a patient. Under low lighting, and surrounded by three massive screens, the residents settle into reclining chairs complete with drink holders - all promising a comfortable ride inside the human skull. It also helps surgeons in the operating room, guiding them in a three-dimensional space.įor the residents, class is held in a room in the hospital basement. “I felt better knowing it was so clear to the doctor.”Ĭreated by the Colorado startup Surgical Theater, the VR system is helping train residents, assist surgeons in planning upcoming operations and educate patients. “Because I had been through this before, I thought I knew it all until I saw this,” she said. After donning a headset connected to the VR system, Rodoni could clearly see the ballooning blood vessel, as well as the spot where her neurosurgeon, Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, would place a clip to repair it. ![]()
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