Minimally invasive spinal surgery is highly demanding for surgeons due to its limited visual field, restricted operating space, and complex anatomical structures, posing significant surgical risks. As cutting-edge virtual reality technologies, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) have shown great potential in such surgeries. This paper focuses on the application and research progress of AR and MR technologies in minimally invasive spine surgery, highlighting their core advantages and innovations in three key aspects: preoperative planning, intraoperative assistance, and teaching and training. Research findings indicate that AR and MR technologies significantly reduce surgical uncertainty and risk by providing intuitive and three-dimensional image data. The real-time navigation and localization functions during surgery greatly enhance the precision and safety of the procedures. In teaching and training, the immersive experience and high interactivity of these technologies bring revolutionary changes to medical education, significantly improving teaching efficiency and learning interest. However, the current challenges faced by these technologies include technological maturity, equipment costs, and physician training. Future efforts should focus on strengthening technology development, reducing costs, and enhancing physician training to promote the continuous development of AR and MR technologies in minimally invasive spine surgery.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.