Global surgical collaboration in virtual reality

Making surgical knowledge accessible in remote areas

Virtual reality and 3D imaging enable global medical collaboration by allowing specialists to share expertise across distances. In a study between University Hospital Bonn Germany and Lamu Medical Centre Uganda, AI-enhanced 3D modeling in XR was tested for remote reconstructive case assessment. The results showed that VR sessions support real-time knowledge exchange and surgical planning, regardless of location.

Collaborative VR in reconstructive surgery

Billions of people worldwide lack access to safe and timely surgical care. The challenge is particularly severe in low-income regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Asia, where shortages of trained surgeons, limited infrastructure, and financial or geographic barriers often prevent treatment for urgent cases.

Medicalholodeck offers a way to overcome these barriers. By enabling specialists to share expertise across distances without traveling, VR can improve access to surgical knowledge, planning, and outcomes.

This study is one of the first to explore collaborative XR for reconstructive surgery in rural Uganda. Using AI-enhanced 3D models on affordable consumer hardware, the workflow combined data preparation, virtual case conferences, and structured evaluation.

Virtual surgical case conference

Two Ugandan surgeons in Lamu and two surgeons in Germany joined the sessions using VR headsets. On-site surgeons presented patient histories and diagnoses, after which surgical options were jointly discussed.

Medicalholodeck enabled synchronized 3D visualization with tools for zooming, rotating, and annotating models using a virtual pen. Each participant was represented by a distinct avatar, creating a shared space for discussion that led to a proposed treatment plan.

Surgery without borders: VR telemedicine in Action

This pilot study shows that AI-based 3D reconstruction combined with Medicalholodeck’s XR platform makes global telemedicine in surgery both feasible and effective. With affordable VR hardware, surgeons in Uganda and Germany jointly assessed reconstructive cases in real time, explored anatomy in 3D, and agreed on treatment strategies without traveling.

Medicalholodeck proved to be a practical telemedicine solution, offering high-quality visualization, intuitive collaboration tools, and reliable performance on standard consumer devices. The study demonstrates that advanced surgical planning and education can be extended to low-resource settings as long as a stable internet connection is available.

While larger trials are still needed, the findings underline how VR telemedicine with Medicalholodeck can expand access to surgical expertise, improve training, and foster global collaboration—bringing world-class surgical knowledge directly to the communities that need it most.