Virtual Reality and 3D Printing for Craniopagus Surgery

Purpose Surgery for separating craniopagus twins involves many critical issues owing to complex anatomical features. We demonstrate a 3D printed model and virtual reality (VR) technologies that could provide valuable benefits for surgical planning and simulation, which would improve the visualization and perception during craniopagus surgery. Material & Methods We printed a 3D model extracted from CT images of craniopagus patients using segmentation software developed in-house. Then, we imported the 3D model to create the VR environment using 3D simulation software (Unity, Unity Technologies, CA). We utilized the HTC Vive (HTC & Valve Corp) head-mount-display for the VR simulation. Results We obtained the 3D printed model of craniopagus patients and imported the model to a VR environment. Manipulating the model in VR was possible, and the 3D model in the VR environment enhanced the application of user-friendly 3D modeling in surgery for craniopagus twins. Conclusion The use of the 3D printed model and VR has helped understand complicated anatomical structures of craniopagus patients and has made communicating with other medical surgeons in the field much easier. Further, interacting with the 3D model is possible in VR, which enhances the understanding of the craniopagus surgery as well as the success rate of separation surgery while providing useful information on diagnosing and surgery planning.