Good vibrations: Surgeons of the future could 'feel' tumours during key-hole surgery thanks to haptic 'scalpel'
Phil Lelyveld
[Daily Mail – excerpts]
In key-hole surgery today, medics operate through a tiny incision in the patient’s body, their hands guided by video images from micro cameras. …
But the problem with that technique is that it prevents surgeons from being able to feel the tumour they are trying to remove.
The texture and stiffness of tissue offers a ‘double check’ which helps surgeons to find and categorise tumours as either benign or malignant.
But now a team at Leeds University has united virtual and haptic technologies to recreate the sensation of pressure between a surgeon’s hand and the tumour with the Palpatronix device. …
‘Haptic devices that give users sensory feedback are becoming more common in surgery, but none of them quite match that true hands-on feeling.
‘With our system, users can interact with the tissue they are operating on throughout the surgical procedure. …
The team tested the technology by stuffing a silicone block with metal ball bearings and asking the ‘surgeon’ to find them by feel alone. …
‘If this research can be translated into the clinical setting, then it has the potential to offer benefits to surgeons and patients.’ …
Read the full story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2027041/Palpatronix-Surgeons-future-feel-tumours-key-hole-surgery-thanks-haptic-scalpel.html
