New Imaging Technology Helps Guide Surgical Incisions

A new projection and imaging system could improve the accuracy of surgical incisions, according to researchers at the Kochi Medical School (Nankoku, Japan).

The new system, designed for use during cancer excisement operations, uses a CT scan to create a 3D image of a patient's body. The system also determines the exact location of a tumor inside the body of a patient. Based on this data, the system can help physicians determine the best location for an incision.

Once a patient in prepped for surgery, a specialized device projects an image of a patient's interior of his on her skin. This image gives surgeons the ability to "look inside" a patient and make incisions in a way that minimizes tissue damage and operating times.

As of now, these video-assisted surgeries have been used in 30 operations. In thoracoscopic surgery, physicians introduce a small camera through a patient's chest.

As of now, surgeons treating lung cancer use touch to find the right location for a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical incision. However, this method doesn't offer high precision.

With the new visual imaging system, surgeons can see the location of a cancerous growth inside a patient's body with an accuracy of three millimeters.

"(This method) is very simple and allows for precise incisions I hope that with some modifications, it can be also adopted to other medical fields," noted one researcher.