By: Dr Avi Verma

Doctors in Stoke-on-Trent have become the first in England to use new virtual reality goggles that allow surgeons to see exactly what is happening inside a patient during spinal surgery. The system made its debut during a complex operation on fourteen-year-old Dylan at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Dylan has scoliosis, and over a year his spine curved so severely that it began squashing one of his lungs. After the pioneering surgery, his stepfather said he is “four inches taller,” while Dylan shared that before the operation, “I was not able to do cadets or after school club. It was pretty bad. I would be in bed, in pain.”

Lead surgeon Vinay Jasani explained how the condition had worsened, making surgery necessary. With the VR system, he could see Dylan’s latest scans, a detailed 3D model of his spine, and a live internal view during the procedure — all without shifting his gaze between the patient and a screen. “It is all in front of you while you work,” he said.

A breakthrough in 3D visibility

Spinal surgery is among the most challenging fields, requiring extreme precision to avoid the spinal cord and vital organs, often through narrow incisions with limited visibility. The new VR goggles give surgeons a fully integrated view, improving accuracy, reducing surgical time, and potentially allowing procedures through much smaller cuts.

Funded by the Denise Coates Foundation, the technology is expected to assist around six hundred spinal patients across the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.

A technology already advancing in the United States

While this marks a first for England, similar augmented-reality systems have been used in the United States for several years.

In 2020, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago completed a minimally invasive spine surgery using the Augmedics xvision Spine System. In August 2024, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit conducted a complex spinal procedure with the newest generation of AR goggles. By 2025, hospitals such as Baptist Health in Florida reported performing next-generation AR-guided spinal surgeries, highlighting growing nationwide adoption. These systems project CT and MRI-based 3D images directly into the surgeon’s field of view, enhancing accuracy and reducing invasiveness.

A life changed — and a family relieved

For Dylan and his family, the transformation is remarkable. His stepfather Chris proudly noted how much taller he has become, while his mother Mandy said, “He towers over me. I am the smallest now. He is a superstar.”

Now back home, recovering and returning to normal activities, Dylan called the experience “just mind-blowing.”

Picture caption: Mr Vinay Jasani, Consultant Spinal Surgeon and Dylan Jaxon