VR Surgical Planning Solution Creates 3D Patient Avatars to Help Surgeons Visualize Medical Images

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 07 Jun 2023

Image: A surgeon visualizing a kidney cancer CT scan to plan his partial nephrectomy (Photo courtesy of AVATAR MEDICAL)

Virtual reality (VR), now a highly accessible technology, offers a myriad of opportunities, particularly for visualizing and maneuvering through intricate three-dimensional data—a capability that holds significant potential for scientific applications. Now, a novel surgical planning solution is using VR to provide surgeons with detailed patient avatars for improving procedure preparation. Created instantaneously from CT scans or MRI images using proprietary technology that leverages human-data interaction and machine learning research, these patient avatars offer invaluable resources for pre-operative planning and can also be utilized during surgeries.

AVATAR MEDICAL’s (Paris, France) VR surgical planning solution converts patients' medical images into 3D avatars within an interactive VR environment. These lossless, real-time 3D avatars provide clinicians with an accurate and instant way to understand their patients' medical imagery. AVATAR MEDICAL's unique technology utilizes VR and Bayesian methods to facilitate ultra-fluid navigation within medical images. The technology is compatible with standard MRI and CT scans, does not require pre-processing of data, and enables physicians to modify patient avatars in real time within the VR environment.

So far, over 100 surgeons from 20 distinct hospitals and universities have benefited from this solution. It has been employed for case studies, student education, and patient engagement, leading to six medical publications. AVATAR MEDICAL's VR surgical planning solution has also received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“After receiving tremendous positive feedback from surgeons over the past 3 years, the FDA’s clearance is a major milestone in getting our VR solution in their hands to care for their patients. We expect European medical device certification for next year,” said Xavier Wartelle, CEO of AVATAR MEDICAL.

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