A new study published in OTO Open , the open-access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that a standardized virtual reality (VR) educational experience improved medical students' knowledge and confidence in head and neck anatomy—and did so regardless of students' prior experience with VR or video gaming.
“The anatomy of the head and neck is one of the most spatially complex regions in medicine. Virtual reality gives learners the ability to step inside that anatomy and explore it in three dimensions in a way that textbooks and static images simply cannot. What’s also exciting is that these immersive learning tools can be accessible and beneficial for all medical trainees,” said corresponding author Michael Yim, MD, Otolaryngology Program Director and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at LSU Health Shreveport.
This pilot study evaluated whether a commercially available VR platform could serve as an effective supplement to traditional cadaveric anatomy training. Twenty-one medical students, all of whom had previously completed a formal cadaveric head and neck anatomy course, participated in a guided, immersive VR session.
The VR platform received high ratings from participants for control, sensory immersion, and realism, with minimal distraction or frustration reported. Standardized assessments of workload and presence—the NASA Task Load Index and Presence Questionnaire—confirmed that students were able to engage effectively with the virtual environment with low stress and high perceived success, even those with no prior VR experience.
The authors note that this is the first study to evaluate a VR adjunct specifically for head and neck anatomy education and call for larger, multi-institutional studies and prospective trials comparing VR-based learning directly to conventional teaching methods.
Study Citation : Alvarez, I., Johnson, E., Latour, M. and Yim, M.T. (2026), Next Dimension Medical Education: A Pilot Study Exploring Virtual Reality in Head and Neck Anatomy. OTO Open , 10: e70217. https://doi.org/10.1002/oto2.70217
OTO Open is the official open-access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Its mission is to publish clinically relevant, contemporary, and ethical research in otolaryngology--head and neck surgery that advances patient care and supports the global medical community through free and unrestricted access to peer-reviewed science.
About the AAO-HNS/F
The AAO-HNS/F is one of the world’s largest organizations representing specialists who treat the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. Otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons diagnose and treat medical disorders that are among the most common affecting patients of all ages in the United States and around the world. Those medical conditions include chronic ear disease, hearing and balance disorders, hearing loss, sinusitis, snoring and sleep apnea, allergies, swallowing disorders, nosebleeds, hoarseness, dizziness, and tumors of the head and neck as well as aesthetic and reconstructive surgery and intricate micro-surgical procedures of the head and neck. The Academy has approximately 13,000 members. The AAO-HNS Foundation works to advance the art, science, and ethical practice of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery through education, research, and quality measurement.
Next Dimension Medical Education: A Pilot Study Exploring Virtual Reality in Head and Neck Anatomy
27-Feb-2026