MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) opened a dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) Suite in Martinsburg on Tuesday.
Located at Medical Office Building 3 on the WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center campus, the Surgical Theater Virtual Reality Suite was designed to enhance patient experience, education, and satisfaction. The suite features an 85-inch television and VR headset that each display a 360-degree virtual reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy. These reconstructions are used to discuss diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions with patients and their families prior to surgery.
Berkeley Medical Center was the first hospital in both West Virginia and the tri-state region to acquire Surgical Theater’s Precision Virtual Reality® platform for neurological surgery.
This ground-breaking mixed reality technology provides neurosurgeons with a never-before-seen view of the anatomy and pathology of their patients’ complex conditions. Surgeons, along with patients and their families, can “walk through” a reconstructed, 360-degree VR model based on the patient’s CT and MRI scans.
According to Jonathan H. Sherman, M.D., associate professor of neurosurgery and director of surgical neuro-oncology, Surgical Theater not only improves surgical outcomes but allows patients to be more informed and engaged in their neurological surgery than ever before.
“The Surgical Theater Virtual Reality Suite improves patient experience and is an integral part of our commitment to become a destination center for neurological surgery,” Dr. Sherman said. “Using the Surgical Theater Precision VR technology, we are able to provide each patient with a state-of-the-art, personalized view of their anatomy, which results in a more thorough understanding of their diagnosis and treatment.”
For more information, visit surgicaltheater.net or WVUMedicine.org/Berkeley.
For Media Inquiries:
Chelsie Davis, Marketing Strategist, 304-596-6327, chelsie.davis@wvumedicine.org
21-June
CED: 6-15-21