Virtual reality–based anatomical correlation and learning in endoscopic pituitary macroadenoma surgery: Patient-specific haptic simulation across faculty and trainees – a tertiary care experience

Introduction

Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary macroadenoma passes through a narrow corridor where the carotid arteries and optic nerves lie millimetres from the sella; safety depends on confident landmark recognition. Cadaveric dissection remains the gold standard, but workshops are infrequent and costly, and no cadaver reproduces an individual patient’s anatomy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) with haptic feedback lets a patient’s own CT and MRI be reconstructed and the virtual anatomy correlated with the real operative setting.