UCLA neurosurgeons are testing the use of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets as a surgical tool, to improve precision and surgical outcomes while decreasing surgical time.

Working alongside Surgical Theater, researchers from the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery are looking to integrate Oculus Rift with Surgical Theater’s 3D surgery navigation device called SNAP (Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform). The navigation virtual reality scene is built based on patients’ specific CT and MRI scans, providing the potential for the surgeon to enter the virtual brain, examine the brain tumor or aneurysm, and plan the surgical strategy and operative steps.

This is the first time Oculus Rift technology is being used in the medical arena-for brain surgery.This, according to the press release, is the first time Oculus Rift technology is being used in the medical arena-for brain surgery.

“Using the Oculus Surgical Theater is an immersive experience; you are standing there and facing the tumor, moving your head so you can see behind, to the left and right, so you can see the vessel that is covering the tumor from a certain angle or direction,” said Dr. Neil Martin, Chairman of the UCLA Department of Neurosurgery. “It [the virtual experience] translates to superior situational awareness and navigation capabilities inside the patient’s brain.”

The hope is that by employing this new technology, surgeons will be able to examine the best ways to protect and preserve areas that control motor and language function, depending on the location of the tumor or aneurysm.

The Oculus Surgical Theater is under final testing at UCLA and will be evaluated in surgeries in the coming weeks.