A stereoscopic system is helping to train surgeons in complex procedures such as brain surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital (Cambridge, England).
The high-definition stereoscopic visualization system developed by TrueVision Systems (Santa Barbara, CA, USA) displays the surgical field of view in real-time on a 3-D flat-panel display in the operating room, enabling trainee surgeons to view extremely detailed operations.
The equipment enables up to 10 trainee surgeons to observe the surgery at a time. Using 3-D glasses they are able to see what traditionally only one or two surgeons could observe through a microscope. After the surgery, students, trainee and senior surgeons can review the footage and discuss the procedure.
"Using this technology relieved me from the worry of disturbing the flow of the operation with questions and made learning a less stressful and more enjoyable process," says Dr. Damiano Barone, a junior neurosurgical trainee from Italy, now working in Liverpool.
Earlier this month, Leica Microsystems and TrueVision announced that key components of TrueVision Systems' 3-D intelligent digital visualization and guidance platform would be integrated with select models of Leica Microsystems' ophthalmic surgical microscopes.
Recent items on medical imaging from Vision Systems Design that you might also find of interest.
1. MRI system images muscles in 3-D
Researchers at the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e; Eindhoven, The Netherlands) and the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam have developed a technique that allows muscle structures to be imaged in 3-D.
2. Hand held instrument inspects the retina
Medical technology firm Lumetrics (Rochester, NY, USA) has won a $973,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (Bethseda, MD, USA) to fund the development of a digital hand-held diagnostic ophthalmic instrument for inspecting the human retina.
3. Researchers turn an iPhone into an otoscope
A pediatric medical device being developed at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA, USA) and Emory University (Atlanta, GA, USA) could make life easier for parents with children suffering from an ear infection.
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-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design