A new way of presenting diagnostic imaging studies in surgical planning

Technological advancement, availability and common use of diagnostic imaging slowly but consistently leads to a change in its nature from being additional studies to becoming the basis for diagnostic process and treatment planning especially in complex cases that require surgical treatment. CT angiography study presentation using the illusion called “Pepper’s Ghost” in comparison to a three-dimensional printout and regular CT scan has been made to point out the relevance of research and implementation of new technologies in the diagnosis and surgical planning. Our image, despite being far from ideal and being just an illusion of a hologram, was more appealing and detailed to surgeons in comparison to a printed 3D model and standard CT angiography displayed with Osirix software. In order to change the existing methods of presenting imaging studies, it is advisable to use latest technologies, and among those currently available, ones based on virtual or mixed reality deserve special attention.