3D technology useful to even experienced surgeons

A new study has shown that even experienced surgeons stand to benefit from 3D technology.

While physicians have largely ignored 3D technology until now, it appears to be getting a second chance, according to a new study of the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI and Klinikum rechts der Isar university hospital in Munich.

Thanks in particular to improved 3D-glasses and screens, practical tests have recently shown that 3D systems used in medical technology have benefits that were once believed to be purely theoretical.

Researchers showed that even experienced physicians could benefit from the latest generation of 3D devices, after some 50 surgeons responded positively to 3D systems both with and without glasses.

“While the technology still requires some fine-tuning, technology that does without the need to wear special glasses will increase the popularity of 3D systems in operating rooms. In the past, surgeons were hesitant to use the technology precisely because of the glasses,” said Dr Ulrich Leiner, head of the Interactive Media – Human Factors department at HHI.

The study was conducted as a result of current developments in 3D screen technology which have seen 4K models for medical applications that offer quad HD resolution become readily available.

“The next step is ultra-high definition with 8K. This will mark a 16-fold improvement on the resolution of currently available full-HD images,” said Michael Witte of HHI in explaining current trends.

Witte is convinced that 3D without glasses will contribute to a lasting breakthrough.

“This is why the researchers thought it was high time to carry out a scientific test that would assess whether 3D technology has reached the level of maturity required of sensitive hospital applications,” he said.

Surgeons participating in the test tried a total of four different screen systems: 2D, 3D with and without glasses, and a mirror apparatus that served as the ideal 3D model.

Images were delivered by endoscopic cameras that the doctors used during a simulated routine surgical procedure in which physicians sewed up a wound with ten stitches using a needle and thread in a model abdominal cavity.

Just as would be the case in a minimally invasive surgical procedure, the surgeons did not have a direct view of their hands, and thus depended on the screen.

“The results were astonishing: with the glasses-based 3D system the procedure was more than 15 per cent shorter, and precision increased considerably. Hand movements were more targeted than with the 2D model.

“As far as I know, we have not observed this effect among our experienced surgeons in the past,” said Professor Hubertus Feußner in describing the test winner.

The surgeon, who has worked at Klinikum rechts der Isar for over 30 years, has conducted several thousand operations.

“In the past, it was the most experienced physicians in particular who were very skeptical of 3D technology. And this was not only because it hardly offered any tangible benefits. Many physicians felt uncomfortable looking at the screens, and preferred to rely on their experience as a result,” said PD Dr Silvano Reiser, Feußner’s colleague.

The model without glasses also made a positive impression – test participants considered its quality as comparable to 2D.

“Unfortunately, the system we developed was unable to take the first place ranking. But the first hard practical medical test showed great promise, as we were able to work on the fundamental eye-tracking technology.

“This is where, through eye-tracking, cameras follow both eyes, and each eye sees a separate image. This creates a 3D effect without glasses,” Leiner said.

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More about the 3D Technology

Laparoscopic Surgery with 3D Visualization at Keck Medical Center of USC

Anthony Senagore, chief of colorectal surgery at Keck Hospital of USC, leads the first team on the West Coast to implement a novel 3D visualization tool designed by Viking Systems. The use of a 3D camera and special glasses brings depth perception to surgeons who would otherwise have to compensate for a flat view of the organs on which they're operating.

"We've been performing advanced laparoscopic procedures for many years, and many of us have learned how to accommodate a two-dimensional picture," Senagore said, "but his is really the first time we've been able to replicate the way we normally see the operative field. It's enabled us to expedite the procedures and should improve accuracy and safety."

Senagore feels the technology will also help trainees acquire advanced surgical skills more quickly, and is eager to discover additional benefits.

"This is our first attempt to explore this technology," Senagore noted. "Our initial experience has been very good."


More about the technology - click here

3D camera for brain surgery a big leap forward

The Toronto doctor who pioneered what has become an international standard in neurosurgery is once again breaking new ground, becoming the first surgeon in Canada to use a 3D camera to remove a brain tumour.

Dr. Michael Cusimano made headlines 17 years ago when he became the first neurosurgeon in the world to remove tumours by endoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive procedure that involves sending a video lens along with instruments through both nostrils and into the brain.

The 3D tool he ultimately developed helps surgeons precisely manoeuvre their instruments in a tiny space. The better view enables surgeons to remove more of a tumour with reduced risk of error.

Back in the operating room, with the 3D endoscope buried about 10 centimetres in his patient’s nose and brain, Cusimano marvelled at the image on the screen.

It was as though his own eyes were in the patient’s brain, he says, noting the 3D view allowed him to more accurately and quickly resect the patient’s tumour.

After his first run with the 3D endoscope, Cusimano gave the new technology two thumbs up.

“We’re excited by it. It’s a natural evolution to surgery,” says the doctor, who also teaches medical students at the University of Toronto.

Health Canada approved the 3D endoscope this past spring. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration approved it more than a year and a half ago and now about a dozen hospitals there use it. It’s widely employed in Italy, and hospitals in other European countries as well as Israel also use it.

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Panasonic introduces medical-grade 3D monitor for surgery

SECAUCUS, NJ – Panasonic, a provider of professional healthcare display and monitor solutions, today announced a new 3D medical-grade 32” class monitor.

The new monitor, the EJ-MDA32U-K, is fully compliant with medical equipment standards, delivers 2D and 3D image quality and can display multiple images from various sources at once, according to Panasonic officials.


These combined features, paired with Panasonic’s renowned reliability, make the new monitor ideal for use in the surgical bubble, they said in a press release.

“To improve patient outcomes, there is an ever increasing reliance on technology in the surgical suite,” said Scott Thie, director of Healthcare, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “Although this technology has many benefits, it can also create a cluttered environment."

The EJ-MDA32U-K helps to improve the surgical experience by having a large screen, HD image that can be clearly viewed by all clinicians, while also providing flexibility that helps to reduce clutter, according to Thie. “By allowing up to three images to be displayed on the screen at once – from multiple input sources – and by delivering high quality 3D and 2D HD images, we offer a single device that addresses multiple needs in the surgical suite,” he said.

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Surgeons simulate aesthetic procedures using 3D photography

If you are one the thousands of people each year considering aesthetic plastic surgery, MidAmerica Plastic Surgery has some good news for you. Recent advances in three dimensional (3D) photography combined with revolutionary new software allow prospective patients to preview what they will look like as the result of breast augmentation, facial procedures, and more, well in advance of any surgery.

Both the VECTRA® 3D camera and Sculptor software which make this possible were developed by Canfield Imaging Systems of Fairfield, NJ, the world's leading provider of medical photography systems. The process starts with a VECTRA 3D session which produces a three-dimensional photograph of the patient. Then, using Sculptor software, the surgeon is able to simulate the expected results of a variety of aesthetic procedures.

"My patients absolutely love this," said Dr. Ryan Diederich. "For the first time, they're able to see a 3D picture of themselves with their new look. Because it's in 3D, I can rotate their picture to any viewpoint and they can really examine the desired result. We can make changes here and there and agree on a final look in advance, and this truly helps them make a decision".

SOURCE MidAmerica Plastic Surgery

3-D imaging lets brain surgeons rehearse risky procedures

Using CT and MRI scans, software builds up a 3-D image of the brain.

A surgeon probes a patient's brain and sees her target: a swelling on the side of a blood vessel, like a blister on a tire where the rubber has worn off. It's an aneurysm. She uses tiny clips to cut it off from the blood vessel. But there's a problem: an unseen defect causes the aneurysm to burst, resulting in a massive stroke. But there's no problem — she can try again because it was all done in a simulator.

In the next few months, University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland and UCLA will be testing a 3-D imaging system that, coupled with a tool that gives tactile feedback, will allow doctors to rehearse high-risk brain surgery. The system will be tested on virtual brain aneurysms, comparing the outcomes with real surgeries that were done without it.

3D surgery success in Manchester Royal Infirmary’s

It seems that the 3D format has opened new paths in the sphere of medicine as Manchester Royal Infirmary’s doctors have revealed that they made use of a tridimensional projector while performing a surgery. Very successfully too.

While in theatre, the team wore special glasses to view the process in crystal clear 3D.

According to the medical experts, new technologies combined with the 3D format will allow doctors more flexibility while operating and will lessen the risks of some advanced operations (breaking muscle tissue, nerve damage).

During this particular surgery, a robotic arm with a built-in 3D camera gave doctors the possibility to see every tridimensional detail of how the technology assisted in carrying out the operation.

It seems that using 3D in instances such as this can display the strengths of robotic technologies as well as pinpoint areas where it is lacking.

A spokesperson for the hospital said that using 3D and robotic arms could potentially allow surgeons to perform “more operations with even better outcomes.”

One of the surgeons, Dan Burke, also added that he hoped that the technology will be made available for other patients as it made the process much faster and accurate as the technology is more flexible than a human wrist.