@article{ASJ120530,
author = {Michele Ammendola and Francesca Vescio and Silvia Curcio and Giuseppe Massimiliano De Luca and Maria Luposella and Nicola de’Angelis and Chiara Bollino and Antonia Rizzuto and Alessandro Dario Mazzotta and Riccardo Memeo and Maher Moazin and Mansoor Khan and Gabriele Anania and Andrew A. Gumbs and Mario Testini and R. Mattew Walsh and Mohanad Al Ansari},
title = {Applications of the metaverse in medicine and surgery: a mini-review},
journal = {AME Surgical Journal},
volume = {6},
number = {0},
year = {2026},
keywords = {},
abstract = {The integration of the Metaverse with virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) represent a new scenario in surgical training, telementoring and remote consultation. While its application in healthcare has expanded in recent years, its adoption in surgical telementoring, Save Our Ship (SOS), teaching or digital pathology remains limited. This report describes the clinical application of the Metaverse in various medical and surgical scenarios between January 2023 and April 2025, including telementored laparoscopic and robotic procedures, digital pathology consultations, virtual surgical workshops, and simulations including an in-flight consultation and SOS satellite connection. The VR platform SPATIAL was used to create a virtual hospital environment for real-time collaboration and simulation. All the authors and other medical specialists, residents and members of scientific societies from all over the world participated in the experiences described. The evaluation metric was based on the subjective perceptions and satisfactions of the participants and the authors. Surgical mentoring sessions provided clear visualization of anatomy and procedural steps. No adverse events, incidents or patient safety concerns were reported. Remote pathology review and webinars facilitated interactive knowledge exchange. The in-flight consultation demonstrated the feasibility of remote care delivery under real-world constraints. Satellite-enabled emergency support was successfully simulated. In this study we have demonstrated how the Metaverse is different from other platforms because it is possible to perform multiple functions at the same time as if we were in presence. Furthermore, while further validation and structured assessment are required, these early experiences suggest that immersive virtual environments may enhance access to medical and surgical expertise optimizing multidisciplinary collaboration.},
issn = {2788-578X}, url = {https://asj.amegroups.org/article/view/120530}
}