Avatar Surgeon, Digital Pathology and Telementoring: SICE New Technology and Training Research Group Experience

Background. The term Metaverse was born from two words: "meta" and "universe" and it is an interaction between the two worlds in which economic and socio-cultural activities are carried out in a unified manner. This virtual world has become accessible thanks to the introduction of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and Extended Reality. The Metaverse has changed the vision of medicine and the doctor-patient relationship, introducing the concept of telemedicine with avatr. Methods. In a scientific collaboration between the Translational Research Group in Surgery of the "Magna Graecia" University of Catanzaro and the first Metaverse Surgical Hospital, USA, we introduced the Surgical Metaverse in Italy. During the Iraqi Medical Conference in UAE also, on 6 February 2024, a surgical session was done at the Metaverse Surgical Hospital. Results. Each surgical moment was marked by the operators in the Metaverse, each step was described and performed under the monitoring of all those present. Subsequently, the specimens taken from both patients, placed in formalin, delivered to the pathologist and prepared in the laboratory, were shown to the participants of the Conference. Conclusions. The ability to use Metaverse as a distance learning, practice and simulation platform can lead to a faster growth of the learning curve of young surgeons. The surgeon's knowledge kilometers away who operate in the same virtual operating room on the same patient at the same time can be exploited with low costs. Finally, as highlighted by the collaboration with pathologists, a multidisciplinary collaboration enriches the skills and qualitatively increases the team's activity.