Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar 751003, India
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
  • 3 Faculty of Medicine, Sumy State University, Sumy 40007, Ukraine
  • 4 Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin 10250, Ireland
  • 5 School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University, Stratford, NJ 08807, United States
  • 6 Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen 4026, Hungary
  • 7 Faculty of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS29JT, United Kingdom
  • 8 School of Medicine, College of Medical & Veterinary Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G116QQ, United Kingdom
  • 9 Department of General Surgery, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul 34100, Turkey
Postgrad Med J, 2023 May 22;99(1170):240-243.
PMID: 36892407 DOI: 10.1093/postmj/qgad002

Abstract

The tremendous evolution in modern technology has led to a paradigm shift in neurosurgery. The latest advancements such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and mobile applications have been incorporated into neurosurgical practice. NeuroVerse, representing the application of the metaverse in neurosurgery, brings enormous potential to neurology and neurosurgery. Implementation of NeuroVerse could potentially elevate neurosurgical and interventional procedures, enhance medical visits and patient care, and reshape neurosurgical training. However, it is also vital to consider the challenges that may be associated with its implementation, such as privacy issues, cybersecurity breaches, ethical concerns, and widening of existing healthcare inequalities. NeuroVerse adds phenomenal dimensions to the neurosurgical environment for patients, doctors, and trainees, and represents an incomparable advancement in the delivery of medicine. Therefore, more research is needed to encourage widespread use of the metaverse in healthcare, particularly focusing on the areas of morality and credibility. Although the metaverse is expected to expand rapidly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it remains to be seen whether it represents an emerging technology that will revolutionize our society and healthcare or simply an immature condition of the future.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.