Application of Augmented Reality to Maxillary Resections: A Three-Dimensional Approach to Maxillofacial Oncologic Surgery

In the relevant global context, although virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality have been emerging methodologies for several years, only now have technological and scientific advances made them suitable for revolutionizing clinical care and medical settings through the provision of advanced features and improved healthcare services. Over the past fifteen years, tools and applications using augmented reality (AR) have been designed and tested in the context of various surgical and medical disciplines, including maxillofacial surgery. The purpose of this paper is to show how a marker-less AR guidance system using the Microsoft(®) HoloLens 2 can be applied in mandible and maxillary demolition surgery to guide maxillary osteotomies. We describe three mandibular and maxillary oncologic resections performed during 2021 using AR support. In these three patients, we applied a marker-less tracking method based on recognition of the patient’s facial profile. The surgeon, using HoloLens 2 smart glasses, could see the virtual surgical planning superimposed on the patient’s anatomy. We showed that performing osteotomies under AR guidance is feasible and viable, as demonstrated by comparison with osteotomies performed using CAD-CAM cutting guides. This technology has advantages and disadvantages. However, further research is needed to improve the stability and robustness of the marker-less tracking method applied to patient face recognition.