Comparison of virtual reality and computed tomography in the preoperative planning of complex tibial plateau fractures

Preoperative planning is a critical step in the success of any complex surgery. The pur-pose of this study is to evaluate the advantage of VR glasses in surgical planning of complex tibial plateau fractures compared to CT planning. Five orthopedic surgeons performed preoperative planning for 30 fractures using either conventional CT slices or VR visualization with a VR headset. Planning was performed in a randomized order with a 3-month interval between planning sessions. A standardized questionnaire assessed planned operative time, planning time, fracture classification and understanding, and surgeons’ subjective confidence in surgical planning. The mean planned operative time of 156 (SD 47) minutes was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the VR group than in the CT group (172 min; SD 44). The mean planning time in the VR group was 3.48 min (SD 2.4), 17