MCH Neurosurgeon Relies on Apple Vision Pro for Surgical Procedures
Dr. John Dorman, a renowned neurosurgeon, has leaped forward into the future by incorporating the Vision Pro, Apple’s famed augmented reality (AR) headset, into his workflow.
The new arrangement comprises an amalgamation of spatial, computational, and visual intelligence for developing immersive experiences. Such functionalities can be rendered into breakthrough applications in the domain of neurosurgery. They let surgeons get a more detailed perspective into the convoluted structures of the human brain in 3D. The technology works using superimposing visuals onto the anatomy of patients in real-time. It can dynamically enhance the precision of surgical actions, with an emphasis on the surgical domain.
According to Dr. Dorman, who happens to be the Medical Center Hospital’s Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery, the AR technology also shows CAT scans when a surgeon is performing their duties. He elaborates that this lets them be distraction-free as they do not have to view the surgical field repeatedly during the scanning process. Dorman explained that it is like a display affixed to the wall, meant to let medical specialists maintain their concentration.
Dorman has been using the Vision Pro AR headset from Apple for approximately a month. According to him, the current use case is the first of its kind in the domain of brain surgery. Dorman remarked that the device had previously been used for pre-surgical planning. However, it has not seen direct usage in any surgery.
Dorman elaborated further, saying that he needed to use the headset for some hours to get a feel of it. He learnt how to move it and control it smoothly, and how to adjust it on his head. The AR device was utilised in a successful surgical process for removing a brain hemorrhage.
According to Dorman, the AR-backed surgical technology can potentially be used in all types of brain surgeries. He revealed that the innovative process has been used for only a specific surgery type, stressing that the future may hold further prospects. Dorman said that the device can guide implants and give surgeons visual guidelines when working on a patient’s spine.
Additionally, he relies on an application that lets surgeons utilise iPhone devices in surgical processes. This app gives them convincing hints on where implants have to be placed. Dorman emphasised that the application has FDA approval.
He is hopeful that the same technology (like that of the app) can be incorporated into the Vision Pro device in the future.
Dorman had come across the Vision Pro during the Worldwide Developers Conference organised by Apple in 2023. He studied its features and functionalities, primarily AR and image production in the surgical field. These make more information accessible to surgeons when they are carrying out their medical procedures.
Dorman is a surgeon who utilises loops to perform surgeries under magnification. He is enthusiastic that the Apple Vision Pro will provide magnification capabilities sometime in the future. According to his experienced guess, such a functionality could save a lot of time.
One of the major perks of using the device is that it can be utilised even without an Internet connection. It does come with its own, but can function adequately without being online. He hinted that the device is easy to set up and use.
