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Who’d have thought that glass-equipped 3D TV would be more than just a nauseating, headache-inducing experience and would actually be useful? Surgeons from the Manchester Royal Infirmary used a 3D display for the first time in the UK to help successfully robotically cut out a man’s prostate.
Apparently the combination of fine-movement robots and a 3D display allow much greater “surgical mobility” for keyhole operations. In other words, having a bit of 3D thrown-in aids the surgeons in their difficult task of fine control over a robot that enables operations to be carried out without slicing people open too much.
Combining a 3D screen with a hand-held robotic arm allows the intricate surgeries to be performed more easily, with greater accuracy, and more cheaply than other medical imaging technology. Considering where the surgery is taking place you’d want to make damn sure the surgeon can see what he’s doing alright – one wrong move and you might lose more than you bargained for.
The technology is to undergo so more trial surgeries before being offered more widely, but you might find the next time you go under the knife your surgeon comes walking in with some 3D specs. [BBC]
Image credit: Surgery from Shutterstock
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3D surgery is being trialled at a number of different centres around the country and is quite fun to watch, seeing an artery squirt in 3D is better than the crappy effects in the cinema! Mainly the use it during conventional laparoscopy for increased depth perception. The Da Vinci robot also send 3D picture to its operator as well. The really cool piece of technology in this story is the hand held robotic tool which allows the surgeon to use the flexibility of the Da Vinci robots awesome laparoscopic instruments without having to have the whole several million pound set up. (http://www.uroweb.org/?id=320&yid=13) WARNING for those of a nervous disposition- graphic video of Surgery!
Pretty sure this isn’t the first time it’s been done. I filmed an event back in 2010 at the University of Surrey where some of our medical staff used the very same technique.
Video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBKxtCqwgjU
That is exactly the place I saw it being done. 3D surgery isn’t new I agree, it was just the robotic arms for urological surgery that was new. Obviously with 3D being in vogue the press though this was the more interesting thing.