Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality in Healthcare Clinical Practices

AR and Mixed Reality Reviewed for Cardiac Surgery Planning (February 2026)
A narrative review of 14 studies found AR/MR shows early clinical and preclinical evidences supporting its use for visualization and orientation in preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation in cardiac surgery; with image registration accuracy as the key remaining barrier. Read full article
AR’s Role in Planning & Preparing for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (February 2026)
A comprehensive review over 15 yrs (2010-2025) found AR represents a promising adjunctive for non-instrumentation minimally invasive spine surgery by overlaying visualisation that in turns lowers radiation exposure during spinal decompression and endoscopic procedures - with calls for future AI and robotic integration. Read full article
3. VA Deploys Immersive Tech Across 170+ Facilities - Reducing Pain and Anxiety by 29% (February 2026)
The VA's national VR programme now serves over 10,000 veterans at more than 170 facilities across all 50 states for mitigating pain, managing PTSD, and improving rehabilitation - with self-reported pain and anxiety each dropping 29%. Read full article

Markerless AR Navigation Matches Clinical Standard Accuracy in Brain Biopsies (January 2026)
Tested on 17 neurosurgery patients, a new markerless AR system achieved 4.5 mm +/- 2.2 mm average entry-point total error rate — matching the clinical standard found within the literature — without time-consuming physical marker setup. Read full article
AR Navigation Achieves 88.9% Grade A Accuracy for Spinal Screw Placement (April 2026)
A cadaveric study of 18 spinal screw placements found AR-guided navigation hit 88.9% grade A accuracy placement and 100% clinical acceptability along with an average placement time of just 3.1 minutes. Read full article

Mixed reality combined with surgical navigation for oral tumor resection (February 2026)
Researchers at Peking University compared mixed-reality-assisted surgical navigation with conventional navigation in 38 patients undergoing oral/maxillofacial tumor resection. The study suggests promise for using MR with surgical navigation for resection of oral and maxillofacial tumors. Read full article
AR System Guides Craniofacial Surgery with ~2 mm Accuracy in 2.5 Minutes (January 2026)
A prospective study of 41 oral surgery patients found an AR navigation system achieved sub-2 mm localisation errors, improved intraoperative intuitiveness and safety and required only 2.5 minutes to set up per patient. Read full article