First-ever brain surgery using hologram performed at Amsterdam UMC

A Dutch neurosurgeon has performed the world’s first brain surgery using a hologram in Amsterdam. The “mixed reality” technology used at Amsterdam UMC can help surgeons navigate the brain more effectively.

Dutch surgeon uses hologram glasses to insert brain drain

Amsterdam UMC has announced the use of a new technique to navigate brain surgeries using mixed reality. Doctors wearing a pair of glasses called the HoloLens can view 3D images of the patient’s brain via a hologram projected on the patient’s head. 

For the first time ever, this technology was used to insert a drain into the ventricles of a patient’s brain. Before this development, neurosurgeons would have to use a kind of navigation system to insert the drain, but it was not as easy because they would have to look away from the patient to see it. 

"Think of it like a car's navigation system. The current method is a bit like seeing the route in advance, but not being able to see it while driving,” explains neurosurgeon Maarten Bot, who was the first to use the technology. “With the hologram, you can see where you are and where you need to go while driving, without taking your eyes off the road."

Clinical trial launched for hologram technology

A drain, which removes excess cerebrospinal fluid, is inserted into the brains of hundreds of patients every year. According to Bot, while neurosurgeons are very skilled at performing the procedure because they do it so often, errors can still occur.

“In about two out of 10 cases, the needle is inserted incorrectly. The surgery then has to be repeated, which is difficult for the patient," said Bot. The HoloLens makes it easier to find the right spot to insert the drain the first time.

Bot is launching a clinical trial together with UMC Utrecht to use the technology to insert brain drains for more patients at Amsterdam UMC. This will allow the researchers to study the technology further.