Published online Oct 18, 2021. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v12.i10.727
Peer-review started: March 18, 2021
First decision: June 7, 2021
Revised: June 16, 2021
Accepted: August 30, 2021
Article in press: August 30, 2021
Published online: October 18, 2021
Processing time: 209 Days and 9.7 Hours
In the modern era, preoperative planning is substantially facilitated by artificial reality technologies, which permit a better understanding of patient anatomy, thus increasing the safety and accuracy of surgical interventions. In the field of orthopedic surgery, the increase in safety and accuracy improves treatment quality and orthopedic patient outcomes. Artificial reality technologies, which include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), use digital images obtained from computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. VR replaces the user’s physical environment with one that is computer generated. AR and MR have been defined as technologies that permit the fusing of the physical with the virtual environment, enabling the user to interact with both physical and virtual objects. MR has been defined as a technology that, in contrast to AR, enables users to visualize the depth and perspective of the virtual models. We aimed to shed light on the role that MR can play in the visualization of orthopedic surgical anatomy. The literature suggests that MR could be a valuable tool in orthopedic surgeon’s hands for visualization of the anatomy. However, we remark that confusion exists in the literature concerning the characteristics of MR. Thus, a more clear description of MR is needed in orthopedic research, so that the potential of this technology can be more deeply understood.
Core Tip: Mixed reality could be a valuable tool in orthopedic surgeon’s hands for visualization of anatomy, but a more clear description of this technology is needed in the orthopedic literature.