Royal College of Surgeons: Future of surgery

IMAGING, VR AND AR

Imaging technology is key to the delivery of less invasive interventions, allowing the visualisation of internal structures and organs with reduced impact on the patient. In the next few years, advances in imaging technology will deliver better guidance during a surgical procedure and improve accuracy.

Better imaging is also likely to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis. If the direction of travel is one where imaging becomes better able to capture increasingly smaller structures and their functioning inside the body, surgery might move towards interventions at the micro level, such as the cellular level.

CASE STUDY 1:

FundamentalVR©, a London-based company with offices in Boston, USA, has developed VR surgical simulations with haptic feedback. Fundamental Surgery is a software platform that combines readily available VR hardware with off-the-shelf 3D peripheral, working with any modern PC/laptop. It provides surgeons with the opportunity to learn, rehearse and practise surgical procedures within a safe and controllable space. Feedback about performance and accuracy is available immediately. This allows users to evaluate performance and improve and maintain their skill set. Currently, Fundamental Surgery simulations focus on orthopaedic procedures; however, other areas such as general surgery are currently being considered for development. Figure 9: FundamentalVR© simulation (Image credit FundamentalVR©)