Virtual Reality in bone and soft tissue tumor surgery

Shintaro Iwata

2023/9/1

In order to perform surgeries on malignant bone and soft tissue tumors that arise in difficult anatomical locations such as the pelvis and retroperitoneum, it’s crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the 3D structure of the tumor, and it can be challenging based on the radiological information by CT or MR images.
By implementing cutting-edge technology, Virtual Reality (VR), into these complex surgeries, it becomes possible to have a better understanding of the tumor extension and its relationship with surrounding blood vessels, nerves, and organs in a three-dimensional and intuitive way. Also, this 3D image can be shared with multiple surgeons simultaneously.

This technology is useful for preoperative surgical planning, as well as for educating young surgeons and teleconferences with remote sites. It’s also effective for digital archiving of surgical records. </br /> By incorporating VR into complex musculoskeletal oncology surgeries, it can be possible to perform surgery more accurately and pass on the expert’s skill to the next generation more efficiently.

• Surgery
• Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology and Rehabilitation