Last reviewed: November 2026. This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified clinician about any treatment decision.
CT and MRI scans capture the body in three dimensions, but they are usually read as flat slices on a screen. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) aim to show that data in 3D, either as a model to examine or laid over the patient during a procedure. Radiology has more cleared AR and VR products than most specialties, though the research behind everyday use is still limited.
Key takeaways
- Main uses: 3D viewing for planning, guidance during needle procedures, and teaching.
- Regulation: nearly 90% of devices on the FDA’s AR and VR list were reviewed by its neurology or radiology panels.
- Evidence: mostly narrative reviews and small studies, not large trials.
- Day to day: scans are still read mainly on conventional screens.
In this guide
How AR and VR are used with scans
- 3D viewing and planning. Software converts CT or MRI data into a model that clinicians can move around and view from any angle, often together, before a procedure. A 2025 review of VR in radiology describes these tools as supporting understanding of complex anatomy, collaboration between specialties, and teaching.
- Overlay on the patient. AR can line up existing scans with the patient’s body so the clinician sees internal structures in place. A 2024 narrative review in BJR Open describes this as the main promise of AR for radiology.
- Education. 3D models are used to teach anatomy and image interpretation. See our guide to virtual reality in medical training.
Guiding image-led procedures
Interventional radiologists use imaging to steer needles and instruments, for example when taking a biopsy. The BJR Open review discusses an AR-assisted CT navigation system for lung biopsy and reports that better sample adequacy with AR-assisted navigation has also been seen in other image-guided biopsies. In one treatment example it describes, the position of the probe was still confirmed with conventional CT before going ahead.
For AR guidance in the operating room, where the research is more developed, see our guide to augmented and virtual reality in surgery.
What regulators have cleared
The FDA keeps a public list of medical devices that use AR or VR. Radiology has featured heavily from the start. When the list stood at 69 devices, Radiology Business reported that radiology led with 28, the first cleared in January 2015, followed by orthopedics with 25.
By its December 2025 update the list had grown to 104 entries, according to an analysis by the consultancy Exponent, with nearly 90% reviewed by the neurology or radiology panels. Most were cleared through the 510(k) route, which rests on similarity to an existing device. The FDA says the list is not comprehensive.
Limits and open questions
- Clearance is not proof of benefit. A cleared viewing tool has been shown to work as described. That is different from showing that diagnoses or outcomes improve.
- Thin trial evidence. The sources for this guide are largely narrative reviews, which summarize a field without the systematic methods of the reviews cited in our other guides.
- Usability. A 2018 review of radiology user interfaces found the mouse and keyboard were still the most used tools and stressed that new interfaces are only adopted when they are easy to use.
- Dependence on consumer hardware. The BJR Open review raises the risk of clinical tools relying on headsets made by a small number of consumer technology companies.
Questions to ask
- Is the product cleared as a medical device, and for which use?
- Does it add information beyond what a standard screen already shows?
- How is the 3D view checked against conventional imaging before decisions are made?
For the wider picture, see our guide to augmented reality in healthcare.
Common questions
How is AR used in medical imaging?
To view CT and MRI scans as 3D models for planning, to overlay scans on the patient during needle procedures, and for teaching.
Are AR and VR imaging tools cleared by the FDA?
Many are. Nearly 90% of devices on the FDA’s AR and VR list were reviewed by its neurology or radiology panels.
Does 3D viewing improve diagnosis?
That has not been shown. Clearance confirms a tool works as described. The evidence so far is mostly narrative reviews and small studies.
Sources
- Christie M. Augmented reality and radiology: visual enhancement or monopolized mirage. BJR Open, 2024.
- Review of virtual reality in radiology, including FDA-cleared devices. 2025.
- A review of existing and potential computer user interfaces for modern radiology. Insights into Imaging, 2018.
- Radiology Business. FDA updates list of cleared VR, augmented reality devices, with radiology leading the way.
- Exponent. FDA expands AR/VR medical device list, February 2026.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Medical Devices.
