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V I S U A L I Z A T I O N
M
ost elective surgery today is carried out using laparoscopic
techniques. Nobody can question the benefits of minimally
invasive surgery for the patient. There's less pain, nearly
invisible scars, improved surgical precision and a markedly accelerated recovery. But what about the surgeon? For all of laparoscopy's
benefits, aptly named keyhole surgery poses some very real and often
overlooked visualization challenges to the surgeon. Yes, working
through puncture-size incisions limits what we can see and feel.
We've done a great job of minimizing the cost of surgical access for
the patient, but at some expense. We're left flying somewhat blind,
performing surgery without being able to directly see beyond the surface of internal organs and feeling tissues with the tips of long instruments that we've placed through ports in the abdominal wall. We
must rely instead on a flat image projected on a monitor generated by
the tip of our scope.
Depth perception can be a problem during MIS. We're limited to visualizing internal structures through a 2-dimensional optical system that
diminishes depth perception. We must acquire new cues to know where
we are in 3-dimensional space. Decreased tactile sensation is another
challenge. We're
using long instruAn experimental
ments interposed
concept worth
between the surtracking is a
geon's hands and the
scope that would
target to access the
provide traditional
organs or tissues
laparoscopic views
being operated on.
fused with real-time
We also have to conultrasound to see
tend with limited
beneath the surface.
range of motion that
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2013
