We are pleased to share a few of our achievements and breakthroughs using 3D+ technologies. Through our work, we touch upon every pillar of the UCSF mission: patient care, education, and research. 

Virtual Fit Test

Collaborators: Shafkat Anwar, MD, Peter Kouretas, MD, PhD, Michael Bunker, MS

One particular clinical success in July 2020 was the use of a “virtual fit test” of a ventricular assist device (VAD), a first for UCSF. VAD procedures are risky and associated with significant complications, but they can increase the chance of survival as a patient waits for a suitable donor heart. Using EchoPixel, a CT scan of the patient and a 3D model of the VAD, the team was able to test the implantation virtually, prior to the patient entering the operating room. The surgery team found this procedure very helpful, and Dr. Peter Kouretas, head of our VAD and cardiac transplant program, plans to do a virtual fit test on every VAD case going forward.

Intraoperative Mixed Reality

Collaborators: Shafkat Anwar, MD, V. Mohan Reddy, MD, Michael Bunker, MS

In December 2020, we performed the first surgical case at UCSF using MR for intraoperative guidance. This advanced viewer, recently FDA approved, was used to provide anatomic guidance for a complex congenital heart surgery case. The surgeon can operate and use the system while maintaining full sterile scrub. The MR viewer (named EchoPixel) projects “holographic” 3D images that show detailed views of the anatomy. The system tracks the surgeon’s head movements and hand gestures, which allows the surgeon to manipulate a 3D image of the patient’s anatomy while maintaining sterile scrub.

Intraoperative EchoPixel case
Dr. Reddy and Dr. Anwar using intraoperative holography in complex cardiac procedures.