Augmented and Virtual Reality in Surgery

Augmented and virtual reality are transforming the practice of healthcare by providing powerful and intuitive methods of exploring and interacting with digital medical data, as well as integrating data into the physical world to create natural and interactive virtual experiences. These immersive technologies use lightweight stereoscopic head-mounted displays to place users into simulated and realistic three-dimensional digital environments, unlocking significant benefits from the seamless integration of digital information with the healthcare practitioner and patient's experience. This review article explores some of the current and emerging technologies and applications in surgery, their benefits and challenges around immersion, spatial awareness and cognition, and their reported and projected use in learning environments, procedure planning and perioperative contexts and in the surgical theatre. The enhanced access to information, knowledge, and experience enabled by virtual and augmented reality will improve healthcare approaches and lead to better outcomes for patients and the wider community.