Superpowered brain surgery: seeing the invisible

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About the research

On his very first night shift as a brain surgeon, Frederick Van Gestel faced a daunting task: placing a life-saving drain in the middle of a patient’s brain. It made him wonder, “What if I had futuristic X-ray vision to see exactly where to go?”

Now, during his PhD, Frederick is developing just that. Using Augmented Reality and special glasses, his technology displays the patient’s internal anatomy to the surgeon, along with crucial surgical waypoints and landmarks— think of it like a GPS for navigating the human brain.

Early hospital results are promising: greater precision, fewer complications, and new possibilities for brain surgery.

Health
Frederick Van Gestel
VUB

Frederick Van Gestel, a young neurosurgeon at UZ Brussel, aims to revolutionize neurosurgery by bridging the gap with cutting-edge technologies. His research on augmented reality grants surgeons superhero-like abilities akin to X-ray vision, allowing them to see inside a patient’s head without making a single cut. Like a GPS for the brain, it enhances precision and efficacy, making surgeries safer and more effective. With Frederick’s work, brain surgeons can now wield superpowers to see the invisible and do the impossible.

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