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.

3D Stereoscopic Endoscopy for heart Surgery

WAUWATOSA, Wis., Feb. 21, 2012 - 3D Surgical Solutions, LLC and Wheaton Franciscan-The Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campus announced that the first case ever using the Leonardo 3D Vision™ System was successfully conducted in a surgical robotic procedure. This revolutionary system provides stereoscopic 3D visualization to personnel at the bedside -- as well as the entire surgical robotic team -- during the surgery. The Leonardo 3D Vision™ System was used in conjunction with the daVinci® Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical®).

"Today's case demonstrates a culmination of years of research and development that bring a new level of 3D visualization to the operating room," said Dr. Husam Balkhy, Chairman, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Director, Center for Robotic and Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital.

Dr. Balkhy and his medical team utilized the Leonardo 3D Vision™ System while performing a beating heart Totally Endoscopic Coronary Artery Bypass (TECAB). This event marks a major milestone in the expansion of stereoscopic 3D visualization within the robotic and video-assisted surgical fields and is a breakthrough in the availability of high-quality surgical imaging. This technology can be used with other cases using the daVinci® Surgical System, including urology and gynecology procedures.

"For me, having such wonderfully crisp 3D images to work with is exciting and extremely helpful," added Dorothy Krienbring, Dr. Balkhy's first assistant. "It allows me to introduce instruments and supplies into the chest with safety and with much more accuracy. Using this system allows all of us to see the anatomy in spectacular detail. The Leonardo system is a major step forward in the field of endoscopic surgery."
In addition, the Atlanticus 3D Recorder™ (a component of the Leonardo 3D Vision™ System) was used during the case to digitally record stereoscopic 3D-HD video for presentation at symposia, other clinically-oriented events, and teaching purposes.

"The versatility of this system is impressive, and the opportunity for optimized teaching that it represents is sure to provide enhanced safety as well as substantial cost and time savings to the operative and surgical training arena," Balkhy said.

About 3D Surgical Solutions
3D Surgical Solutions, LLC, based in metro Atlanta, GA, is dedicated to providing stereoscopic 3D solutions to the surgical and medical community. The company develops and markets advanced stereoscopic 3D systems providing superior imaging, versatility, and a cost-effective transition from 2D to stereoscopic 3D video environments. Currently, the firm is engaged in a private equity offering to provide funding for expansion and growth.

About Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in Wisconsin
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare (WFH) is a Catholic, not-for-profit organization with more than 100 health and shelter organizations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, and Illinois.  Started by the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters more than 130 years ago and formally incorporated in 1983, WFH has corporate services offices in Wheaton, Illinois and Glendale, Wisconsin.

World's First 3D Surface Anatomy Guide

Thursday, 8th December 2011 The world’s first 3D surface anatomy guide for medical and physiotherapy students, surgical trainees and artists has been developed in Ireland through a unique collaboration between anatomists, artists and engineers. Launched today in the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in Dublin, the two year project, funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), has resulted in an on-line 3D guide which shows the motions of muscles and the sites of structures from the surface inwards.  It shows how, by using movement, colour, illustration and 3D technology, anatomists, engineers and artists can collaborate to teach the body from the outside in.

The project combined artistic representation, engineering expertise and anatomical accuracy into a four hour teaching programme and will shortly be part of the curriculum/training for medical students in Dublin, Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur.  Computer aided learning is an elegant and cost-effective solution for medical students as it gives them  access to a 3D representation of the human body and helps mitigate the traditional constraints of medical education such as a lack of willing live models.


Stereo-3D or stereoscopic photography was used to create the footage for the project but the technology has been around for a long time.  Stereoscopic pictures of Dublin can be found in the National Library dating from 1865. The technology has been through several reincarnations in the past but it is only in the last five years that the technology has caught up with the idea as everyone knows from the explosion of 3D content on the big screen.

“What is less known is that it is still hard to shoot things in stereo-3D. The crew needs to work with two cameras mechanically and electronically coupled to each other. Quite aside from the physical problems of manipulating the camera rig, it turns out that the camera sensors can never be the same. This is bad for stereo-3D viewing and tends to make people feel ill. The engineering challenges centre on fixing the pictures in post-production using signal processing algorithms designed by the Sigmedia group at Trinity,” said Anil Kokaram, associate professor at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Trinity College.

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