Virtual Reality Cancer Surgery: First Operation Streamed Worldwide

The first-ever surgery streamed online allows virtual reality technology users to witness a cancer patient go under the knife. Now, games and tours are not the only things which can be virtually witnessed but also medical procedures.

ABC News said the operation which used 360-degree cameras was performed by laparoscopic and colorectal surgeon Dr. Shafi Ahmed. It was made possible through Ahmed's Medical Realities, a healthcare company which hopes to provide affordable medical training with the aid of new technology.

According to The Verge, Ahmed worked on a 70-year-old patient with colon cancer with the help of the application VRinOR which can be downloaded through Google Play and the App Store. Those who were able to watch the surgery live were Cardboard and Gear VR owners. However, the team said many also streamed the procedure using their smartphones.

Through this medical breakthrough, the surgeon also hopes his "Virtual Surgeon" project will prepare medical students on what to expect inside the real operating room. "It's as close as you can get to replicating it," Ahmed told ABC News.

He explained that by making a student function like a surgeon inside the operating room, they will understand the process of operating a person. Aside from this, Ahmed's team also plans to collate all operations which will have a VR version to help students find useful resources for practice.

"In an operating theatre you have noises going on, you have stress levels, you have things going wrong, you have people passing things to you," Ahmed was quoted by The Verge as saying. "Everything's around you and it's hard to train people in that. It really is because, unless you're in that environment, you don't know how to behave."

He also explained that students will also learn how to behave like a professional inside the operating room. This simulation is expected to be followed by other similar procedures which will also be streamed online.