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 Although the imaging machines surgeons typically use to peer into
the body collect data in three dimensions, the images are displayed
on two-dimensional screens. That means surgeons doing minimally
invasive procedures have no depth perception and need to
periodically tap internal surfaces to get oriented.
With the ability to see in three dimensions, the surgeon using the
new technique was able to orient himself without having to tap
instruments against the heart, the authors note.
"We developed the method of real-time streaming of (ultrasound) data
into head-mounted mixed-reality holographic display allowing for
touchless control and data sharing within the cath-lab," the
research team led by Jaroslaw Kasprzak, a cardiologist at Bieganski
Hospital and chair in the department of cardiology at the Medical
University of Lodz writes. "The method was tested for the first time
in a human during (a procedure to widen the mitral valve)."
During that procedure, a deflated balloon is placed inside the
narrowed valve and then inflated to widen the opening so blood will
flow more freely, explained Dr. Omar Ali, director of the cardiac
catheterization lab at Detroit Medical Center's Heart Hospital in
Michigan. Ali was not involved with the new research.
"I do minimally-invasive structural heart procedures, such as fixing
the valves in the heart," Ali said. "We usually rely on 3D
ultrasound images of the heart that are projected onto a flat
screen."
The new technology takes the 3D image collected by the ultrasound
machine and sends it to the 3D goggles so that the surgeon is able
to actually see in 3D rather than looking at a 2D image projected on
a flat screen.
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The technique described in the new report "helps the surgeon
navigate," Ali said. "And this novel technique will potentially help
to provide better treatment."
Until now, the 3D technique has been used to teach medical students
anatomy, Ali said. "Traditionally cadavers were used," he added.
"Now they aren't needed because you can navigate through the body
virtually."
While the new report is promising, the technique will need to be
studied in randomized trials, Ali said. And if it fulfills its
promise, surgeons will need to learn how to use it, he added.
Dr. Raveen Bazaz agrees that the new technology might improve
patient care.
"3D holographic displays such as the one mentioned have the
potential to allow operators to utilize this valuable information
and modify techniques in real time, permitting dynamic guidance
during an ongoing procedure," Bazaz, a cardiac electrophysiologist
with the Heart and Vascular Institute at the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center said in an email. "The synthesis of
computation and real-time imaging hold promise to permit more
optimal outcomes than attainable in the past."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2UJ0vns European Heart Journal, online April
12, 2019.
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