In this presentation, Dr. Elsayed, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Och Spine, Weill Cornell Medicine, walks us through real cases showing how he integrates Medicalholodeck into complex surgical routines. His use of 3D visualization, AI-assisted planning, and VR-based patient communication represents a clear shift in how high-stakes spine surgery can be approached today.
From CT Slices to 3D Strategy
Spine surgery is notoriously complex. With 33 vertebrae and the need for precise alignment, even minor miscalculations can lead to serious complications. Dr. Elsayed shows how he uses Medicalholodeck to convert standard CT scans into immersive 3D models. This allows him to identify disc spaces, vascular structures, and optimal entry points before making a single incision. In one example, a preoperative plan helped him achieve a 14-degree correction in spinal curvature, all mapped out beforehand in VR.
VR Meets AI: Planning, Measuring, and Automating
A powerful aspect of Dr. Elsayed’s approach is how he combines VR with AI. Using tools like Medicalholodeck’s segmentation models, he automates vertebrae identification and measurement—speeding up planning and reducing errors. He envisions a future where model-context protocols (MCPs) automate the planning process even further, enabling AI-driven workflows directly within the VR environment.
Galal A. Elsayed, M.D is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Och Spine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine and serves as Director of Minimally Invasive Spine at Och Spine Queens. His clinical focus is on advanced techniques in spine surgery, with a special interest in minimally invasive and image-guided approaches.
Dr. Elsayed is also deeply involved in integrating extended reality (XR) and spatial computing into surgical planning and education, pioneering new ways to enhance precision and patient outcomes.
Fusing Imaging for Surgical Precision
One of the standout moments in the talk is the fusion of CT and MRI scans in a single VR session. Dr. Elsayed explains how being able to overlay spinal cord data directly onto bone anatomy allowed him to anticipate and avoid nerve damage during surgery. In his words, this insight helped prevent a potential paralysis case—something 2D imaging alone could never provide.
Patient Impact and Future Vision
VR isn’t just helping surgeons—it’s changing how patients experience care. Dr. Elsayed notes that when patients see their own pathology in VR, their understanding improves dramatically. He also sees Medicalholodeck playing a vital role in global education through a future RxR surgical atlas: a shared VR library of recorded surgeries that can train clinicians anywhere in the world.
A New Standard for Surgical Planning
Dr. Elsayed’s presentation makes it clear: virtual reality in surgery is no longer experimental—it’s essential. From education to planning to intraoperative guidance, spatial computing is reshaping what’s possible in medicine.
For more information, contact info@medicalholodeck.com March 2025
