Modern Medical Laboratory Journal

Brazilian twins (Three-year-olds Bernardo and Arthur Lima) who were joined at the head have been successfully separated with the help of virtual reality, last week. For the first time, surgeons in separate countries wore headsets and operated in the same "virtual reality room" together. The teams spent months trialling techniques using virtual reality projections of the twins, based on CT and MRI scans. The twins had seven surgeries, involving more than 27 hours of operating time in the final operation alone, and almost 100 medical staff.
Virtual reality is the name given to the technology that allows a user to simulate a situation or experience of interest, using a VR headset, within an interactive but computer-generated environment. The simulation is immersive and may require the use of special 3-D goggles with a screen, or gloves that provide sensory feedback, to help the user learn from experience in this virtual world. Virtual reality can be used to help medical professionals visualize the interior of the human body, thus unveiling otherwise inaccessible areas. For one, the dissection of cadavers, which was a norm for every new medical student, has given way to the study of human anatomy via virtual reality.
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