PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barrow Brain and Spine announces it is the first in the Southwest to use the Precision Virtual Reality™ medical visualization platform by Surgical Theater. This innovative, enterprise-wide virtual reality technology provides Barrow’s world-renowned neurosurgeons and physicians with a never-before view of the anatomy and pathology of their patients’ complex neurologic conditions. For patients, Precision VR™ is a valuable instrument for shared decision making and helps patients visualize and comprehend their medical conditions by allowing for an intuitive and immersive understanding of their treatment plans while supporting the overall path to an easier, faster and smoother recovery.
Surgical Theater, the market leader in virtual and augmented reality based healthcare services, is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient’s own anatomy scans, using medical imaging such as MRI, CT and DTI, to create a 3D, 360-degree room-scale virtual reality reconstruction of the patient’s own anatomy and pathology. Precision VR revolutionizes patient engagement opportunities in the clinic while providing cutting-edge surgical planning and navigation capabilities in the operating room, as well as powerful tools for medical education and collaboration for Barrow’s neurosurgical and medical communities.
The Precision VR empowers Barrow Brain and Spine surgeons and patients with technology that enables them to swipe their fingers across a touch screen or slip on an Oculus Rift® or HTC Vive® VR headset, then walk into or fly through the patient-specific virtual reality, room-scale reconstruction during a surgical consult.
“We build each patient’s treatment plan based on the philosophy that each patient is unique and each procedure is different, which is why we spend years dedicated to learning to visualize a patient’s anatomy and how their condition impacts critical structures, especially in the event that surgery is necessary,” said Dr. Peter Nakaji, Neurosurgeon at Barrow Brain and Spine. “Precision VR is truly a breakthrough technology for neurosurgery that provides an immersive view that is instrumental to the visualization process and enhances the personalized treatment plans we facilitate for patients. The VR reconstruction also helps facilitate communication and build rapport by giving doctors a visual way to lead patients through their procedures.”
When wearing the VR headset, a VR-empowered physician and patient can tour a patient’s pathology. Together, they literally walk into the space between vascular structures and stand between arteries and the tumor or an aneurysm. By simply turning their head from side to side, the patient can further explore their anatomy as the surgeon explains and demonstrates the planned surgical path or minimally invasive corridor the medical team will use during the procedure. This 360-degree visual representation gives the patient and their families an informative and deep understanding of their condition by visually answering questions about surgical approaches and other medical concerns.
“It is an honor to be considered a trusted member of the Barrow Brain and Spine team; their world-class expertise is known by physicians and sought out by patients,” said Moty Avisar, CEO & Co-Founder of Surgical Theater. “Precision VR by Surgical Theater delivers a number of medical, technological, and economic benefits across the patient treatment continuum. VR technology has proven to be a powerful communication tool for increasing shared decision-making opportunities for patients and their families while quickly becoming indispensable for their surgeons in the operating room and in collaborative environments.”
About Surgical Theater
Surgical Theater is committed to providing virtual reality based healthcare services that bring enterprise-wide value to its partners. Surgical Theater integrates cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation skill sets to redefine medical imaging and visualization capabilities that empower both patients and physicians throughout the treatment continuum. Surgical Theater’s innovative imaging platform combines & enhances multiple imaging modalities to create a comprehensive, virtual reconstruction for various levels of interaction and immersion facilitating a virtual tour inside the patient’s own anatomy. Find out more at www.SurgicalTheater.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SurgicalTheater and on Twitter at @SurgicalTheater.
About Barrow Brain and Spine
Barrow Brain and Spine is one of the largest physician-owned, multi-specialty medical groups in Arizona and is focused in the areas of neurosurgery, advanced spine care and pain management. Home to many of the world’s most highly skilled, leading edge neurosurgeons and physiatrists, the practice performs more than 9,500 surgeries and serves more than 22,000 patients each year. It is a private group practice with several of its neurosurgeons serving as faculty members for one of the largest neurosurgery residency programs in the country, Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Arizona. Find out more at http://www.BarrowBrainandSpine.com.
