{"id":17546,"date":"2023-05-26T13:24:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T18:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=17546"},"modified":"2026-03-09T15:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:39:45","slug":"how-vr-impacts-complex-surgeries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/how-vr-impacts-complex-surgeries\/","title":{"rendered":"How VR impacts complex surgeries"},"content":{"rendered":"

OSF Innovation<\/a> has been on the leading edge of 3D modeling ever since printing its first pediatric heart for surgical planning in 2013. Today, the program led by the Advanced Imaging and Modeling (AIM) Lab<\/a>, offers surgeons the ability to view complex anatomy in virtual reality, giving them a new perspective on how to proceed with an operation.<\/p>\n

Since the program\u2019s inception, hundreds of children\u2019s surgeries have benefitted from VR nationwide, thanks to AIM\u2019s free segmentation service<\/a>. Dr. Mark Plunkett<\/a> was an early adopter of the technology in his role as a heart surgeon for babies and children in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really helps you not only define the anatomy with great accuracy, but it also allows you to plan your surgical operation well ahead of time with confidence that your plan will work,\u201d said Dr. Plunkett, chief of pediatric congenital heart surgery at OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This approach to viewing anatomy becomes integral when dealing with complex cases like Hamzah\u2019s. The young child was born with a rare condition called heterotaxy, where his heart was located in the wrong position. In addition, the structure of Hamzah\u2019s heart was pumping and draining blood incorrectly.<\/p>\n

VR is an invaluable tool<\/h2>\n

Watch how Dr. Plunkett was able to leverage VR to perform a successful surgery.
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