{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T01:41:41Z","timestamp":1792201301041,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,25]],"date-time":"2026-02-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771977600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":55,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["ietresearch.onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Healthcare Tech Letters"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Numerous minimally invasive procedures, including biopsies, ablations and neurostimulation, rely on the accurate placement of a needle under image guidance. Mixed reality (MR) head\u2010mounted displays (HMDs) offer a promising solution to enhance the guidance of these procedures without radiation. While the performance of the established HoloLens 2, now discontinued, is well\u2010documented, the clinical viability of its potential successors remains unproven. This study provides the first direct comparative benchmark of the HoloLens 2, Magic Leap 2 and Apple Vision Pro for a high\u2010precision needle insertion task, using sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) as a validation scenario. We developed custom applications for each platform and evaluated the performance with 11 users, including nine clinicians without prior HMD experience, through a randomized protocol. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess procedural efficiency and user experience. Results identified the Magic Leap 2 as the most effective platform, demonstrating significantly higher success rates and superior usability scores, driven by its ergonomic design and stable tracking. In contrast, the Apple Vision Pro, despite offering superior visual fidelity, proved unsuitable for this navigation task. Its performance was critically hampered by unstable marker tracking, significant device weight, and a lack of accommodation for prescription glasses, which disrupted the clinical workflow. The HoloLens 2 performed as a reliable, albeit less usable, baseline. We conclude that, for this surgical navigation purpose, the optimal HMD is determined by a balanced combination of tracking reliability, user comfort, and practical workflow integration, over the technical specifications of the device. These findings emphasize the importance of device selection in enhancing procedural outcomes and clinical\u00a0training.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1049\/htl2.70037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]],"date-time":"2026-03-08T21:47:59Z","timestamp":1773006479000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A Comparative Study of MR\u2010Guided Needle Insertion for Surgical Procedures: Insights From HoloLens 2, Magic Leap 2 and Apple Vision Pro"],"prefix":"10.1049","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4445-6622","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amaia","family":"Iribar\u2010Zabala","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Digital Health and Biomedical Technologies Vicomtech Foundation Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Donostia\u2010San Sebastian Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Bioingenier\u00eda Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Legan\u00e9s Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseba","family":"Ruiz\u2010Olalla\u2010Del\u2010Fresno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digital Media and Communications, Vicomtech Foundation Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Donostia\u2010San Sebastian Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"In\u00e9s","family":"Rubio\u2010P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicio de Cirug\u00eda General Hospital Universitario La Paz Madrid Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rafael","family":"Moreta\u2010Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Department Cella Medical Solutions Murcia Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5452-2141","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andoni","family":"Beristain\u2010Iraola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Digital Health and Biomedical Technologies Vicomtech Foundation Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Donostia\u2010San Sebastian Spain"},{"name":"Bioengineering Area, E\u2010Health Group Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute Donostia\u2010San Sebastian Spain"},{"name":"Computational Intelligence Group, Computer Science Faculty University of the Basque Country (UPV\/EHU) Donostia\u2010San Sebastian Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javier","family":"Pascau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Bioingenier\u00eda Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Legan\u00e9s Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n Madrid Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M\u00f3nica","family":"Garc\u00eda\u2010Sevilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Bioingenier\u00eda Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Legan\u00e9s Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Mara\u00f1\u00f3n Madrid Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"265","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_13_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598\u2010021\u201084878\u20103"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00464\u2010011\u20102055\u20109"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2021.675700"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/jimaging90100048"},{"key":"e_1_2_13_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"I. 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