While augmented reality (AR) is growing increasingly common in gaming and technology sectors, it is beginning to transform the health and care industry too. In the health and wellness sector, AR is helping those with Parkinson’s Disease, providing gamification interaction for those on the autism spectrum and helping the blind to navigate better. Now, AR is finding a use in vascular neurosurgery.
Innovative company Leica Microsystems has developed a new product for use in the operating theatre. Their product, the Glow800 augmented reality uses fluorescence to glow parts of the anatomy and create a colour visualisation of the vascular flow. This is a significant development from the early Leica Microsystems’ products which could visualise blood flow and the anatomy but in black and white.
What is Leica’s Glow800 Augmented Reality?
The device uses multispectral colour visualisations and works by assigning different parts of the anatomy and blood flow with different colours. This then enables surgeons to have a better view of the area and can, therefore, work more confidently. As a result, the FDA has given Leica and their Glow 800 AR a clearance for use in vascular neurosurgery.
The Glow800 sits along Leica’s other AR medical support tools. For example, the Glow800 can be integrated with the ARveo digital AR microscope. Following on from these products, Leica wants to continue to work closely with neurosurgeons. This partnership will help the Leica to develop more tools and surgical aids using the technology.
While Leica is one of the first to take the step with augmented reality and neurosurgery, they hope the AR devices will show results and improve patient outcomes. If they do, then it is likely that we will see many more augmented reality tools for use in neurosurgery and in the surgery theatre in general.
Article source: Health Tech Insider
