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focused on bringing 4K technology — which pro-
vides 4 times the resolution of high-definition video
and promises crisper images, depth perception and
color fidelity beyond anything you see with HD
laparoscopes — into the OR. It's a journey that sent
him to Hollywood, Vegas and an OR on Long Island.
Chasing a mirage
Back in 2000, high-definition imaging was starting to
generate a buzz. The standard definition monitors
used in the OR appeared antiquated compared with
the promise of operating in HD. At that time, Dr.
Palter sought out companies making industrial cam-
eras and devised a way to perform the first
laparoscopy in HD, which demanded bringing
together teams from Japan and America who were
expert in imaging and software engineering.
A year later, he presented a keynote lecture at a
medical conference in HD for the first time ever. He
showed attendees that increasing imaging resolution
lets surgeons see anatomical details never before possible. But that didn't pre-
vent experts from telling him there were no more improvements to be made to
surgical imaging, that the attempt to incorporate HD into the OR would prove
impossible. What they didn't know was Dr. Palter was just getting started.
He continued to operate in HD, but always kept an eye on Hollywood, where
4K technology was starting to completely transform the way movies were seen.
"My fascination and passion was to see if we could push the envelope in surgery
to this next level," says Dr. Palter. "I did all of my research in 4K sensors and
editing, and became convinced what it could do for entertainment would have
the same exponential increase in medical visualization."
V I S U A L I Z A T I O N
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