Doctors in Zurich are using HoloLens 2 to help with spinal surgery

A group of researchers at Balgrist University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, are evaluating the benefits of Microsoft's HoloLens in the operating room. Recently, the team executed the first-ever "holographically navigated" spine surgery.

The researchers are evaluating how augmented, and mixed reality technology can benefit surgeons performing complex and potentially life-altering procedures.

The team at Balgrist University Hospital has put in years of research to get to this point, and the recent surgery marks the first time a surgeon has performed a real spine surgery on a live patient. Prof. Dr. med. Mazda Farshad, Surgeon in Chief and Spine Surgeon, performed the procedure while wearing a Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset.

"AR enhances the surgeon's senses and improves their perception," said Dr. Farshad, Principal Investigator and Medical Director of Balgrist University Hospital.

While performing the procedure, Dr. Farshad received the patient's CT scan imagining along with 3D models representing the area affected by the procedure. The software also gave the Dr. procedural instructions to guide him through the surgery.

The team at Balgarist University Hospital said that this procedure would be one of many performed in a series of randomized studies to evaluate the efficacy of this technology as a standard for surgery procedures.