From US to Bengaluru: How a techie got her life back with mixed reality
Bedridden for months with quadriparesis — paralysis of all four limbs — she was told by American doctors that surgery on her skull-spine junction might leave her permanently weak, or even dependent on a ventilator support for breathing.
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"I felt like I was losing balance constantly, even while walking at home," she recalled her situation in mid-2024. Her husband Kiran Amati said: "We were told a surgery could risk permanent paralysis, it was terrifying."
Crushed and fearful, she packed her bags along with husband Kiran Amati and they flew to India, spent months seeking second opinions, and explored alternatives—homeopathy, Ayurveda, and posture correction—but nothing worked.
In Bengaluru, she found something that Silicon Valley didn't give her: hope. Doctors at Aster Whitefield Hospital in the city diagnosed her with atlantoaxial dislocation — a rare instability at the top of the spine that was choking her spinal cord. Treatment was a major challenge as one slip near the brainstem could have spelled disaster.
That was when medical specialists decided to ride high on Bengaluru's greatest strength: technology.
A medical team, led by lead neurosurgeon Dr Satish Rudrappa and spine and deformity surgeon Dr Ramachandran G, pulled out mixed reality technology (augmented + virtual reality) headsets, turned Surpita's spine into a 3D hologram, rehearsed the operation like a flight simulator, and then went in for the real deal.
"It was like walking around her spine before we even touched it. It helped us identify the exact position of the arteries to operate on," said Dr Ramachandran.
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"Mixed reality (MR) enables us to anticipate problems or complications we might face on the operation table and to prepare for it."
Dr Satish added: "Mixed reality also assisted the patient and her family to understand the medical condition as well. The innovative approach allowed for precise navigation and execution of surgery." Suprita's husband Kiran said: "They didn't just explain the surgery; they showed us exactly where the compression was and how they planned to correct it.
That gave us the confidence we needed."
The surgery went on for five hours, which included repositioning of displaced bones to achieve normal alignment. The next morning, Suprita was on her feet. Within 10 days, she walked back home. She has returned to the US. Currently, Suprita has started swimming, cycling and playing volleyball. "The only thing doctors told me is to avoid rollercoasters," she said.
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