Michael Khazzam, MD, has performed almost 30 augmented reality-assisted shoulder replacements in the last four months.
Dr. Khazzam, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, completed the first AR shoulder replacement in April, according to an Aug. 27 news release.
Before surgery, a preoperative plan is designed with AR technology. He uses Microsoft HoloLens AR glasses for navigation and viewing a patient's surgical plan during the procedure.
"We can conduct a virtual ‘dry run,’ implanting the shoulder in the software environment so we can determine what works best for that patient’s anatomy and pathology," Dr. Khazzam said. "Ultimately, this ‘dry run’ becomes our surgical plan."