Novel Video Solutions Broadcast Live 3D Surgery

Innovative video solutions enable live images seen through an operating microscope to be shared through videoconferencing in three dimensional (3D), high definition (HD) video.

The Polycom RealPresence Group 700 solution, coupled with a special kit for 3D video, provides extreme video collaboration, performance, and flexibility via a platform that offers simultaneous 1080p60 [full HD at 60 frames per second] video and content sharing. Multiple camera, content, and audio input and output sources enable surgical residents learning how to perform the surgery to receive a 3D view identical to that seen by the surgeon through the microscope. In combination with a 3D TV, any person is able to have the same orientation as the surgeon.


The first to use Polycom (San Jose, CA, USA) systems to broadcast a live surgical procedure in 3D HD video were surgeons at University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCUtrecht; The Netherlands), who performed a stapedotomy, a procedure to replace one of the middle-ear ossicles in a patient with otosclerosis. The surgery, performed by Prof. Wilko Grolman, MD, head of the department of otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery, was broadcast to thousands of viewers worldwide.

“This revolutionary approach in teaching surgery not only gives students a better understanding of what the surgery is, it also helps them when residents perform the procedure on their own,” said Prof. Grolman. “And as I will have the exact vision of the microscope on my screen, I will be able to better guide them and deliver instructions. I am thrilled with this important advancement Polycom delivers. For us it is a game changer.”

“Advancements in technology have led to huge gains in the medical field, and what Prof. Grolman has conducted further illustrates that the future of healthcare is here today,” said Ron Emerson, global director of healthcare at Polycom. “Our healthcare customers continue to inspire us, using our solutions to improve patient care, care coordination, quality of life for patients, and present new procedures future healthcare professionals will grow accustomed to using.”

Related Links:
Polycom
University Medical Center Utrecht