Enhancing Surgical Strategy for Raghib Syndrome by Virtual and Augmented Reality Tools

Background/Objectives: Raghib syndrome is a rare congenital heart disease where the left superior vena cava (LSVC) drains into the left atrium in addition to an absent coronary sinus and an atrial septal defect. This condition can lead to hemodynamic impairment and ultimately put the patient at a high risk of stroke. While computational flow modeling enables predictive understanding of the heart hemodynamic, augmented reality (AR) provides a deeper understanding of complex anatomic geometries. This study shows the case of a 53-year-old woman with Raghib syndrome in whom preoperative planning was supported by the integration of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and AR. Methods: Three-dimensional (3D) anatomical models were segmented from CT imaging and used to perform CFD simulations of pre- and post-operative hemodynamics, quantifying the left-to-right shunt and confirming restoration of normal intracardiac flow after surgical repair. Results: The AR application developed allowed surgeons to visualize and manipulate holographic cardiac models, enabling accurate assessment of LSVC length, vessels distances and septal defect geometry using HoloLens 2 headsets. Conclusions: This work demonstrates the feasibility and adds value of the immersive approach coupled with quantitative in silico flow analysis for preoperative planning of complex congenital heart disease.