Extended Reality in Neurosurgery : Surgical Planning, Navigation, Education, and Patient Communication

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Technology
• Extended Reality (XR)

Background:

• Extended reality (XR), encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), is a rapidly advancing technology.
• Its integration into neurosurgery offers potential for significant improvements in patient care and surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a narrative review of current applications of XR technologies in neurosurgery.
• To analyze the evidence, advantages, limitations, and future prospects of XR in this field.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of XR applications in neurosurgery.
• Analysis focused on four key domains: surgical planning/visualization, intraoperative navigation, medical education/training, and patient communication.

Main Results:

• XR, particularly AR navigation, shows submillimeter accuracy for intraoperative guidance.
• AI-enhanced 3D visualization improves understanding of complex pathologies.
• XR significantly enhances neurosurgical training and patient communication regarding procedures.

Conclusions:

• XR technologies demonstrate substantial promise for improving pediatric neurosurgical care.
• Despite current limitations like hardware and workflow integration, XR is poised to transform neurosurgical practice.
• Further validation studies are needed to fully realize XR's potential in neurosurgery.