Preoperative Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) Applied to Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study of Surgical Planning and Clinical Outcomes

PURPOSE: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) is the procedure of choice for the management of complex or large renal stones. A major challenge for the surgeon, however, is the need to assimilate the nearly 2000 static images from a CT scan into a functional mental image to enable surgical planning. Accordingly, we investigated the potential of immersive virtual reality (iVR) to enhance surgical planning and its impact on the outcomes among patients undergoing PCNL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 2 mm remnants, or 2.1 to 4 mm remnants. RESULTS: = .03). The results were independent of the surgeon's years of PCNL experience. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative iVR model visualization benefited surgeons and patients alike. From a surgical standpoint, viewing the iVR model resulted in a safer, more effective percutaneous stone removal procedure.