A Hong Kong hospital is now using advanced mixed reality and 3D printing technology to improve the precision of orthopaedic surgery and provide patients with better treatment.

Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin officially implemented the mixed-reality visualisation last year, applying head-mounted displays that allow virtual objects to be overlaid onto the real world.

The tool helping surgeons plan and prepare complex operations has been used in 50 cases of bone and soft tissue tumours at the hospital so far since its trial in 2023.

The institution said it expected to apply it to 140 cases per year involving treatment of bone tumours and scoliosis – a type of spinal deformity, complex fractures and bone deformities.

“We take the patient’s images and create a digital 3D model, which is integrated with the patient’s body … It’s like you can actually see through the patient’s skin and see what tissues are underneath,” said Dr Wong Kwok-chuen, consultant at the hospital’s department of orthopaedics and traumatology.

“It is a tool to help doctors understand how to perform surgery as quickly as possible, and perform the surgery well and accurately, so that the patient can have the best results.”