UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland The First Stand Alone Children's Hospital to Pioneer Precision Virtual Realitytm Visualization Platform for Pediatric Neurosurgery

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland announces it is the first stand-alone children's hospital to acquire the Precision Virtual Realitytm visualization platform by Surgical Theater. This innovative, enterprise-wide virtual reality technology provides UCSF Benioff Children's renowned neurosurgeons with an inside-out, never-before seen view of the anatomy and pathology of their patients' complex neurologic conditions. For patients and their families, Precision VRtm is a valuable instrument, which empowers patients and their families allowing them to walk inside their own anatomy, enhancing their understanding of their conditions and treatment plan. This facilitates shared decision making and comprehension of their medical conditions. Utilization of Virtual Reality offers an intuitive and immersive approach to patient engagement allowing surgeons to walk with the patient inside a 360° model based on their own CT and MRI demonstrating customized digital treatment plans for patients. These 360° models also have proven useful for intraoperative visualization and navigation during complex surgical procedures.

"The way by which we interact with patient imaging has been relatively static for many years," said Kurtis Auguste, MD, Chair of the Department of Surgery and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Chief of Neurosurgery. "VR represents a giant leap forward in translating a rigidly two-dimensional world into the volumetric 360-degree three-dimensional surgical world. Its immersive nature closely mimics what we encounter in the operating room and is a powerful tool to best prepare for the toughest neurosurgical procedures... This tool is unique in the way that it allows me to take patients on a guided tour through their own anatomy, a virtual journey between their arteries, veins, looking over our shoulders at the tumor. You simply cannot get to this level of immersion and understanding by any other means. I have witnessed personally how these tailor-made VR walk-throughs lead to an enhanced patient and family experience, ultimately alleviating their anxiety and improving their satisfaction."

Surgical Theater, the market leader in virtual and augmented reality based healthcare services, is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient's own anatomy scans, using medical imaging such as MRI, CT and DTI, to create a 3-D, 360-degree room-scale virtual reality reconstruction of the patient's own anatomy and pathology. Precision VRtm revolutionizes patient engagement opportunities in the clinic while providing cutting-edge surgical planning and navigation capabilities in the operating room, as well as powerful tools for medical education and collaboration for UCSF Benioff Children's neurosurgical and medical communities.
"The opportunity to see structures and anatomic relationships that were not readily apparent in two-dimensions is a great value. I can rehearse entire surgical sequences ahead of time in 3-D," said Dr. Auguste. "All of this can be shared with the patient and their parents. This virtual world sheds layers of anxiety for them as they tour their own brains and understand their problem in entirely new ways. In this way, we are both better prepared for the surgery ahead."

When wearing the VR headset, a VR-empowered physician and patient can tour a patient's pathology. Together, they walk into the space between vascular structures and stand between arteries, a tumor, an aneurysm, or other pathology. By simply turning their head from side to side, the patient can further explore their anatomy as the surgeon explains and demonstrates the planned surgical path or minimally invasive corridor the medical team will use during the procedure. This 360-degree visual representation gives the patient and their families an informative and deep understanding of their condition by visually answering questions about surgical approaches and other medical concerns.

"It is an honor to be partnering with the dedicated doctors and medical professionals at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital," said Moty Avisar, CEO and Co-Founder of Surgical Theater. "We are very proud that our technology facilitates meaningful physician-to-patient engagement resulting in enhanced patient understanding, superior experience, and satisfaction."

About Surgical Theater
Surgical Theater is committed to providing virtual reality-based healthcare services that bring enterprise-wide value to its partners. Surgical Theater integrates cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation skill sets to redefine medical imaging and visualization capabilities that empower both patients and physicians throughout the treatment continuum. Surgical Theater's innovative imaging platform combines & enhances multiple imaging modalities to create a comprehensive, 360-degree virtual reconstruction for various levels of interaction and immersion facilitating a virtual tour inside the patient's own anatomy. Find out more at

 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SurgicalTheater and on Twitter at @SurgicalTheater.

About UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland
USCF Benioff Children's Hospital is a premier, not-for-profit medical center that creates an environment where children and their families find compassionate care at the forefront. It is one of the top children's hospitals in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. USCF Benioff Children's pediatric expertise includes cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, organ transplants, orthopedics and care for critically ill newborns.

SOURCE UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland