Virtual reality is the multi-dimensional sensorial environment produced by the computer, Users can play a part in this virtual environment by particular tools. This technology, possessing the characteristics of being lifelike, interactive and imaginative, plays more and more important part in the medical field. For example, in medical training, in physical and psychological treatments, this technology is of great value.
Computer Simulation ; Computer-Assisted Instruction ; General Surgery ; education ; methods ; Humans ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; User-Computer Interface

Through a range of clinical applications of the new generation Aurora electromagnetic tracking system, it's performance and the significance in the medical surgical navigation are introduced. Its advantages and the development direction for clinical work are described that it can provide a newer, broader application space, enhance the accuracy and controllability of surgical navigation.
Electromagnetic Phenomena ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods

This paper introduces the development and the key technology of image guided Surgery Systems (IGSS) and analyses its prospect in this paper. IGSS can be used in clinical surgery as an assistant tool, and it would be an advanced medical equipment combined with medical robotics.
Robotics ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; methods

Digital medicine is an important development of the modern medicine and the computer-aided surgery is an important part of the digital medicine. Applications of digital techniques in the computer aided preoperative planning are elucidated in the paper. Techniques of computer-aided design and computer aided manufacture have been widely used in the fields of customized prosthesis replacement, design and manufacture of customized surgical tools and medical auxiliary instruments and here some clinical cases are introduced. The fundamental technologies used in the surgical navigation and related clinical applications are also explained. The development trend of the computer aided surgery is described and it is concluded that the computer-aided surgery has a bright future.
Computer-Aided Design ; Mathematics ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; trends

The development of modern medical imaging and related technologies, and the increasing requirements for accuracy in clinical diagnosis and treatments give the emergence of a new discipline--virtual imagery in medicine. In this paper, we try to summarize its technical aspects, including virtual reality, 3-D image reconstruction and visualization, virtual endoscopy, and so on.
Algorithms ; Computer Graphics ; Computer Simulation ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; User-Computer Interface

BACKGROUNDSpine surgery using computer-assisted navigation (CAN) has been proven to result in low screw misplacement rates, low incidence of radiation exposure and excellent operative field viewing versus the conventional intraoperative image intensifier (CIII). However, as we know, few previous studies have described the learning curve of CAN in spine surgery.

METHODSWe performed two consecutive case cohort studies on pedicel screw accuracy and operative time of two spine surgeons with different experience backgrounds, A and B, in one institution during the same period. Lumbar pedicel screw cortical perforation rate and operative time of the same kind of operation using CAN were analyzed and compared using CIII for the two surgeons at initial, 6 months and 12 months of CAN usage.

RESULTSCAN spine surgery had an overall lower cortical perforation rate and less mean operative time compared with CIII for both surgeon A and B cohorts when total cases of four years were included. It missed being statistically significant, with 3.3% versus 4.7% (P = 0.191) and 125.7 versus 132.3 minutes (P = 0.428) for surgeon A and 3.6% versus 6.4% (P = 0.058), and 183.2 versus 213.2 minutes (P = 0.070) for surgeon B. In an attempt to demonstrate the learning curve, the cases after 6 months of the CAN system in each surgeon's cohort were compared. The perforation rate decreased by 2.4% (P = 0.039) and 4.3% (P = 0.003) and the operative time was reduced by 31.8 minutes (P = 0.002) and 14.4 minutes (P = 0.026) for the CAN groups of surgeons A and B, respectively. When only the cases performed after 12 months using the CAN system were considered, the perforation rate decreased by 3.9% (P = 0.006) and 5.6% (P < 0.001) and the operative time was reduced by 20.9 minutes (P < 0.001) and 40.3 minutes (P < 0.001) for the CAN groups of surgeon A and B, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSIn the long run, CAN spine surgery decreased the lumbar screw cortical perforation rate and operative time. The learning curve showed a sharp drop after 6 months of using CAN that plateaued after 12 months; which was demonstrated by both perforation rate and operative time data. Careful analysis of the data showed CAN is especially useful for less experienced surgeon to reduce perforation rate and intraoperative time, although further comparative studies are anticipated.

Humans ; Orthopedics ; methods ; trends ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; trends

To contrast the methodology of measuring cup placement precision utilizing Mimics and Matlab programming, based on clinical CT images of primary THA cases with computer assisted navigated surgery (CANS) and with the traditional manual method (MANS). The method was applied and analyzed to measure cup anteversion, cup abduction of 50 clinical cases with CANS and MANSThe results show that, cup placement precision differences exits between primary THA cases with CANS and MANS; more cases with CANS are within the safe zone contrasting MANS, and there was less variation and less placement error in CANS cases. CANS can improve cup placement precision and reduce the chance of dislocation efficiently.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods

Image-guided neurosurgery is playing a more and more important role in modern neurosurgical therapy. The current trend is to construct an open platform for image-guided neurosurgery, to make applied researches of various new therapeutic techniques, and finally to integrate them into the clinical image-guided neurosurgery system.
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Neurosurgery ; methods ; trends ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; trends

C-arm based surgical navigation system is a kind of computer assisted surgery (CAS) system. In this paper, key techniques concerning this kind of system are presented. The key techniques mainly include XRII image distortion correction and C-arm imaging system calibration. On this basis, we designed relevant tools and made them fabricated, and developed a software system. Experimental results of human fresh spine sample showed that with the surgical navigation system, screw insertion accuracy was much higher than that without the surgical navigation system.
Algorithms ; Calibration ; Humans ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; methods ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Spine ; surgery ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods