Surgeons Fine-tune Imaging Techniques to Enhance Visualization
Surgeons are tweaking existing computer technologies to enhance their visualization of cancerous tumors and persistent wounds according to two studies presented this week at the 2014 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.
One research team tested the visualization of simulated breast tumors using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging and specially designed, Augmented Reality-assisted software that allows the surgeon to pinpoint the tumor and measure its volume, including its depth. The other team employed a new 3D sensor and computer algorithms on a tablet computer and machine learning—a type of artificial intelligence—for the first time allowing surgeons to precisely measure the area, depth, and tissue type of chronic wounds with a mobile device.
These high-tech imaging techniques, according to their developers, are more accurate than standard methods.