AR tech prepares patients for endometriosis surgery

AR tech prepares patients for endometriosis surgeryJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAmy ClarkeandAnna O'Neill,LondonBBCChelsea and Westminster Hospital is the first to offer this AR experienceAga Mizgala has spent about seven years living with suspected endometriosis, enduring pain she describes as feeling like "a million little needles." Now the 34-year-old is among the first patients to try a new augmented reality (AR) system at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, designed to help people understand a condition that is invisible yet life altering.The hospital is using augmented reality, a technology that overlays digital images onto the real world, during pre-surgical consultations to let patients view anatomically precise 3D models through a headset and see what might be happening inside their bodies.The visual tool, developed by Medical iSight, aims to help patients make sense of complex procedures.Virtual reality helps patients prepare for endometriosis surgeryAga said: "I think it's very helpful to actually see what the surgeon is talking about."According to the World Health Organization, one in 10 women live with the incurable condition, which occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body.Doctors say the technology enables them to show precisely which areas of endometriosis may be removed during surgery.The aim is that this shared virtual view will make complex medical information easier for patients to understand and support them to feel more confident and informed when making decisions about their treatment.Aga told BBC News how the symptoms have shaped her life."It started from pain in my pelvis every day since I wake up until I go to sleep. It just never goes away really," she said."I can't focus on my work. I had to take time off from work due to pain and I'm just miserable."She underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy in 2023, but it provided no answers. Sinc...