VheaRts: Reporting a Single-Centre Experience in Developing and Implementing a Virtual Reality Application for Planning Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) encompasses a range of birth defects which are often highly variable and unique per patient. Planning surgical approach in CHD cases can be highly challenging, due to the complex 3D nature of many lesions. Currently, diagnostic imaging and conventional 2D computer monitors fail to provide a complete 3D appreciation of patient anatomy with depth perception. Virtual reality (VR) is a tool increasingly used in various areas of medicine. In this study, we present how an in-house VR-based application (i.e. VheaRts) has been implemented to enhance visualisation of patient anatomies with complex CHD and support surgical planning. From late 2018 to May 2024, 67 cases were referred for VR assessment, with double outlet right ventricle (DORV) being the most common lesion ( \(\sim \) 39%). Users adopted VheaRts to enhance the understanding of the spatial relationships of cardiovascular structures showing how VR can help tailoring surgical planning in complex procedures and thus increasing confidence of the operators. This pilot study suggests that in the future, multi-centre investigations are in order to assess the impact of adopting VR in planning surgery of CHD.