VR Visualization Platform Creates 3D Patient Avatars from CT and MR Images in Real-Time

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 27 Feb 2024

Image: The VR visualization platform provides patients and surgeons with access to real-time 3D medical imaging (Photo courtesy of Avatar Medical)

Surgeons and patients must currently rely on black and white medical images interpreted by radiologists. This limitation becomes more pronounced in complex surgeries, leading to issues such as patient anxiety, distrust, and the potential for patients to seek care elsewhere. Additionally, this can lead to increased surgical complications and negative financial impacts on healthcare facilities. Now, an innovative and game-changing solution instantly converts medical images into 3D patient avatars, redefining surgical consultations and transforming the learning experience for medical students.

Avatar Medical (Paris, France) has developed a user-friendly, scalable, and real-time virtual reality (VR) medical image visualization tool. This tool enables surgeons to engage patients more effectively by using impressive 3D and extended reality (XR) renderings during consultations. Surgeons can use this VR technology to compare MRI images in three dimensions or VR, both before and after surgical procedures. This technology is transformative in fostering collaborative decision-making between patients and surgeons. It simplifies digital planning for surgeries, improves surgical outcomes, and helps hospitals boost patient satisfaction and retain patients. Additionally, Avatar Medical’s solution is changing how medical students learn anatomy, pathology, and radiology, providing an immersive and immediate visualization experience.

Avatar Medical's solution offers an immersive experience, making it straightforward to access and interpret images in a natural, three-dimensional manner, akin to everyday life. It allows for a detailed 3D visualization of a patient's vascular system, offering a stereoscopic view of the anatomy that enhances spatial understanding. Such preliminary anatomical analysis can boost a surgeon's confidence by identifying unique anatomical variations and creating a sense of familiarity with the patient's anatomy. The advantages of using Avatar Medical's VR medical image visualization tool include improved surgical outcomes, safer procedures, enhanced communication with patients, and considerable time savings. It also empowers surgeons to make more informed decisions about the most appropriate surgical approaches.