Currently used in total hip, knee and shoulder replacement, as well as certain spine surgery procedures, sources who spoke with Orthopedics Today said the use of AR (augmented reality) could be expanded to include other surgical procedures.
“You could make an argument to use it on everything, because any time you are adding information, you are adding value to the surgeon,” Jonathan M. Vigdorchik, MD, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery, said. Similarly, AR can be used as a tool to educate fellows and residents, as well as allow surgeons to help one another in the OR from anywhere in the country, Dr. Vigdorchik noted.