Advances in imaging and minimally invasive surgery - Essay Example

Patients can leave the hospital right after the surgery and return to their normal activities. This is more convenient than going to the conventional open surgery. In minimally invasive surgery, special medical instruments may be used, such as highly special optic cables, miniature endoscope cameras and special surgical instruments placed in tubes inserted into the body through small incisions. Internal images of the interior of the body are transmitted to a video monitor. Through it, the surgeon can identify the internal features, and do surgical operations if needed.

Recently, optical engineering and imaging technology make it even more possible to visualize the manipulation of tissues. It can even reach to remote internal locations which is difficult during the former and traditional procedures (Boppart  A., Deutsch F. and Rattner D. W., 1987). Technology has become more sophisticated most especially in helping the doctors and surgeons to locate tumors from different areas of the body internally. With these, it will be more helpful for them to explore the whole body and to get more precise diagnosis.

It enhances internal navigation for surgeons and simultaneously record findings. Several medical instruments and ultrasound devices are used in minimally invasive technology. The purpose is to get images from the internal organs in order to point out the possible internal problems and provide the most accurate explanations. Dr. Stephen Smith, of the Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering said that their ultrasound device could really advance the use of minimally invasive technology. Their team first developed the three dimensional ultrasound scanners in 1987 in acquiring images of the heart.

What they could provide is not simply two dimensional images but more detailed three dimensional images. He provides the comparison between the more advance imaging technologies than