Virtual and Augmented Reality in Oncologic Liver Surgery

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in complex surgery are evolving technologies enabling improved preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation. The basis of these technologies is a computer-based generation of a patient-specific 3-dimensional model from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data. This article provides a state-of-the- art overview on the clinical use of this technology with a specific focus on hepatic surgery. Although VR and AR are still in an evolving stage with only some clinical application today, these technologies have the potential to become a key factor in improving preoperative and intraoperative decision making.

Keywords: 3-dimensional patient-specific modeling; Augmented reality; Computer-assisted surgery; Image-guided surgery; Liver surgery; Precision surgery; Virtual reality.