Siamese twins' lives saved with VR technology
In a series of surgeries, doctors in Brazil have managed to separate conjoined twins who had grown together at the head. The healthcare team used virtual reality to prepare for the surgery.
Joined at the head
"It was the most difficult, complex, and challenging operation of my career," said neurosurgeon Gabriel Mufarrej of the IECPN Brain Center in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, referring to the separation of three-year-old twins Bernardo and Arthur Lima. "At first, no one thought it was possible. Saving both of them was a historic achievement."
Born in 2018, the siblings, who come from the northern Brazilian state of Roraima, were so-called craniopagus twins. They were conjoined at the head, which is a very rare condition. For context, about one in 60,000 births produces conjoined twins, of which only about 5% are craniopagous. Accordingly, surgeons have little experience with these types of operations. Plus, the twins shared important brain vessels.
The actual operation was a difficult task, though it was successful. It lasted a total of 27 hours and involved more than 100 medical professionals. But both twins survived and are recovering well.
Space-Age stuff
To prepare for the surgery, the surgeons used virtual reality.
With the help of CT and MRI scans, the physicians created precise images of the twins’ brains. They used these images to create a map of Bernardo's and Arthur's heads so that the surgeons could practice the operations months in advance using VR goggles.
British surgeon Noor ul Owase Jeelani, who was involved in the project, trained with specialists from around the world. He emphasized that this type of surgery is considered the "hardest of our time." Its success, thanks to VR, is like "man-on-Mars stuff."
The boys are still recovering from the procedures, and additional surgeries may be needed in the future. But photos released after the surgeries show the siblings in a hospital bed holding hands.
Future potential
Every year, 50 pairs of such twins are born, of which only 15 survive the first 30 days of life. Thanks to virtual reality, surgeons can collaborate and practice operations extensively before stepping into surgery. For that, you almost have to be thankful that so much money has gone into VR, E-Gaming, and Metaverse technology lately—further monetizing the convenience of healthy people.
It's great to see how immersive technologies can improve healthcare. Patient-specific simulations are an important, proven step in strengthening patient outcomes.