A review of virtual reality in radiology

Virtual reality (VR) is not new to the field of medicine or radiology but has grown exponentially in recent years. Exploration of VR in medicine to augment educational experiences and aid in procedural training began in the 1990s. Surgeons have benefited from VR, both for training and planning purposes. The use of VR has been applied throughout the field of radiology with applications in imaging interpretation and procedural training. VR systems have been developed for integration with computed tomography (CT)-guided interventions and ultrasound (US)-guided interventions, and there is a growing amount of information available about the applications of the technology developed specifically for various organ systems, including breast, prostate, liver, renal, lung, cardiovascular, and thyroid. This review provides an overview and update of the use of VR in radiology.