New ways of visualization in laparoscopic surgery

Abstract

Scientific achievements enabled tremendous progress of surgical minimally invasive methods in the 20th century. Laparoscopy and endoscopy became everyday diagnostic and therapeutic tools of modern medicine. Despite its irrefutable opportunities and advantages, classical minimally invasive surgery still has substantial limitations. These include: two-dimensional visualization without depth, a small field of view, and the necessity of precise hand-eye coordination. That is why pressure is placed on manufacturers of endoscopic devices to surmount these technical obstacles. To write this paper we searched databases for articles on new means of visualization in laparoscopic surgery. We discuss augmented reality, three-dimensional vision and image-guided surgery.