OpenSight Augmented Reality System receives FDA approval

The FDA has approved the first Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality system for use in pre-operative surgical planning. It projects 2D, 3D and 4D images of patients interactively by overlaying them onto the patient’s body, and multiple HoloLens headsets can be worn for training or clinical purposes. Medical students can use the teaching version of the software which is available to perform virtual dissections on cadavers. OpenSight specifically utilizes the Microsoft HoloLens headset that allows simultaneous visualization of the 3D patient images in augmented reality and the actual patient and their real-world surroundings. This new technique has the potential to reduce the time required to perform an operation and improve surgical planning.
Wendell Gibby, MD, Novarad CEO and co-creator of OpenSight, said: “This is transformative technology that will unite preoperative imaging with augmented reality to improve the precision, speed and safety of medical procedures. This internal visualization can now be achieved without the surgeon ever making an incision, improving outcomes in a world of more precise medicine.”