The 3D technology that makes images on the TV screen pop out is now being used by Penn neurosurgeons in the operating room.
3D technology “improves our surgery, making it safer and better,” said John Lee, assistant professor of Neurosurgery at Penn.
Lee uses 3D technology when doing endoscopic brain surgery for skull-based tumors. The endoscope, or camera, enters through the nose and into the brain cavity displaying a video of the inside of the brain on a TV monitor.
In the past, the video was two-dimensional. But now, a three-millimeter chip manufactured by medical technology company Visionsense adds a new dimension, allowing the image to be seen more clearly. In order to see the third dimension, “I have to put on those funny glasses,” Lee said, “like at the movies.”
Lee’s 3D polarized glasses apply the same technology used to view 3D films at home or in movie theaters.
With 2D technology, Lee explained that surgeons had to compensate for the lack of dimension. In order to tell where things were relative to each other, the endoscope had to be moved from side-to-side, up and down, right and left. “When we’re doing endoscopic surgery we’re always moving around. But that’s not the way we really should be operating.”
Now, “I can just plant the endoscope, know exactly where I am and operate. It makes you that much more confident in your work,” Lee said.
This is especially pertinent for the type of work Lee does, where one wrong move can cause severe damage. “Damage to [the optic nerve], and he’ll be blind. Damage to the stalk, and he’ll have hormonal problems. Damage to the internal coronal artery, and he’ll have a stroke,” Lee said. “When you’re dissecting and trying to peel [a] tumor off … it would help to have 3D.”
Despite reports that 3D technology in the entertainment industry can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea for some, Lee and his colleagues have not had this problem. “The companies, I think, do recognize that there is some percentage of the population that may get sick or may have some intrinsic reason why they can’t experience 3D,” Lee said.
Past attempts at creating 3D effects for endoscopic surgery were unsuccessful because they relied on using two pieces of glass attached to two cameras. The pieces of glass had to be perfectly aligned, or the eye would realize the image was not actually three-dimensional. Additionally, this method also made the size of the endoscope too big to fit into the nose.
What makes this new approach unique is its use of computer chip technology. “Theoretically [the technology] should double every 18 months, and we’ll get improved resolution,” Lee said. “Eventually I think 3D will take over. It’s a natural evolution.”
