Extended Reality in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery: A State-of-the-Art Review

To review the current literature on the applications of extended reality (XR), including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. REVIEW

No actionable change for most audiologists currently — XR applications in this review are primarily surgical and ENT-focused; audiology-specific clinical use cases remain limited, though the technology warrants monitoring.

As XR technology matures in surgical specialties adjacent to audiology (e.g., cochlear implant surgery, temporal bone procedures), audiologists and hearing implant teams should monitor its trajectory for potential integration into pre-surgical planning and training.

1. 01State-of-the-art review covers VR, AR, and mixed reality (MR) applications across otolaryngology and head & neck surgery.
2. 02XR technologies are being applied to surgical simulation, preoperative planning, and intraoperative navigation.
3. 03Published in Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery (DOI: 10.1002/ohn.70323).
4. 04The review is descriptive rather than evaluative — no comparative efficacy data are presented.
5. 05Relevance to audiology is indirect but includes cochlear implant and temporal bone surgery contexts.

PMID

42371620

DOI

10.1002/ohn.70323.

Journal

Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

Publication type

review

Evidence level

5

Population

Literature on extended reality applications in otolaryngology and head & neck surgery

Intervention

Extended reality technologies (VR, AR, MR) in otolaryngology and head & neck surgery