Surgical visualization technologies for the operating room of the future
A hologram hovers between the patient and the surgeon, providing a magnified image of the patient's anatomy. The surgeon accesses the diagnostic data he needs via a voice control system. Specialists all over the world are involved live and online in the surgical procedure.
This is may be hard to imagine, but it is a vision of how an operating room scenario may very well look in the years to come. In 1953, too, very few physicians ever dreamt that the introduction of the OPMI 1 surgical microscope by Carl Zeiss would herald the dawn of microsurgery. Since then, for half a century now, innovative visualization technologies from Carl Zeiss have played a key role in the reliable, precise and efficient treatment of such common and preventable diseases as cataract, a frequent cause of blindness, and slipped disks.
"Fifty years ago, the introduction of the OPMI 1 surgical microscope paved the way for totally new therapy techniques in ENT surgery. As the pioneers of surgical microscopy, we are proud to play our part in the development of new treatment methods by constantly creating new, groundbreaking prod-ucts in the field of optical and digital visualization technology," is how Dr. Ludwin Monz, Executive Vice President and General Manager in the Medical Systems Group, explains this success.
Today, two out of every three microsurgeons use a surgical microscope from Carl Zeiss. The visualization of even the finest structures which are invisible to the naked eye is an absolute must for surgeons if they are to operate precisely and safely on sensitive, deepseated structures. Precise tumor removal with maximum protection of important areas of the brain and complex surgery on the ear, e.g. ossicle reconstruction, are just two examples which impressively underline the benefits offered by the surgical microscope for successful therapy.
Social responsibility also means more effective treatment methods
The involvement of Carl Zeiss in the fight to combat cataract, a condition which accounts for about half of the 50 million cases of blindness across the globe, illustrates how the company puts one of its core values social responsibility into practice. With early diagnosis and the use of modern therapy techniques, 80% of all cases of blindness are preventable. This is precisely the reason why Carl Zeiss has participated as the first industrial sponsor in the initiative `Vision 2020 The Right to Sight´. `Vision 2020´ has set itself the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness and to protect around 100 million people from suffering this fate by the year 2020.
Milestones in the development of surgical imaging techniques
The revolutionary development of microsurgery is based on milestones set by Carl Zeiss in close coop-eration with the pioneers of microsurgery. After the OPMI 1 surgical microscope became established in ENT surgery in 1953, a breakthrough was achieved in ophthalmology and other microsurgical disciplines in the mid-Sixties. In 1976 Carl Zeiss de-veloped a highly flexible suspension system for the effortless movement of the surgical microscope.
In the field of neurosurgery and ENT surgery, the in-troduction of an "autopilot" system in the early Nineties created a basis for more precise and gentler surgery. MultiVision technology is the most recent milestone to be launched. This integrates various types of information within a single system, permitting the projection of diagnostic and intraop-erative data into the surgical microscope. With the use of MultiVision, the surgical microscope becomes much more than the "eyes of the microsurgeon": it is a microsurgical cockpit from which everything can be controlled.
Innovative solutions to meet the require-ments of today and tomorrow
Leading neurosurgeons estimate that the number of spine operations will increase by 40% in the next five to seven years. To cope with this increasing number of cases, surgeons must develop new tech-niques which will allow them to make the smaller approaches required for minimally invasive techniques. In the field of spine surgery in particular, the ongoing development of minimally invasive procedures would only be possible to a limited extent without the use of the surgical microscope as an ideal tool for the visualization of deep-seated anatomical structures.
Leading surgeons report that the decrease in tissue trauma and blood loss per-mitted by the use of the surgical microscope re-sults in a reduction in patient pain and operating times. This in turn can lead to better surgical out-comes, shorter patient stays, and lower hospital costs.
In dentistry, too, the increasing use of the surgical microscope is allowing more effective and more re-liable forms of treatment than was possible with the traditional techniques used in the past. Opti-mum illumination and magnification permit the visu-alization of even the finest tooth and tissue struc-tures and allow the dentist to take the innovative approaches to diagnosis and therapy demanded by today's informed patients.
Dr. Monz explains the challenge facing Carl Zeiss as follows: "Our customers are looking not only for better and better methods to treat their patients and for instrument systems that will make their work as straightforward, convenient and safe as possible, but also for ways of increasing their productivity and hence their economic efficiency." In future, continued close dialogue and cooperation with the world's leading research institutes and universities will enable the company to meet the requirements of medicine by offering new developments sharply focused on current therapy trends.
One example: a diagnostic technique allows differentiation between various tissue types, e.g. healthy tissue from tumor tissue, during surgery. This visualization technology and new therapy tools, e.g. a plasma knife for precise and damage-free eye surgery, will enable surgeons to operate with even more precision and accuracy. The ongoing development of digital visualization technologies will enhance image documentation during surgery and hence optimize the quality of therapy.
With these new, leading-edge technologies, Carl Zeiss is coming closer and closer to the realization of its own corporate vision: "Since pioneering science in optics, we continue to challenge the limits of man's imagination. With our passion for excellence, we create value for our customers and inspire the world in new ways."
Today, two out of every three microsurgeons use a surgical microscope from Carl Zeiss. The visualization of even the finest structures which are invisible to the naked eye is an absolute must for surgeons if they are to operate precisely and safely on sensitive, deepseated structures. Precise tumor removal with maximum protection of important areas of the brain and complex surgery on the ear, e.g. ossicle reconstruction, are just two examples which impressively underline the benefits offered by the surgical microscope for successful therapy.
Social responsibility also means more effective treatment methods
The involvement of Carl Zeiss in the fight to combat cataract, a condition which accounts for about half of the 50 million cases of blindness across the globe, illustrates how the company puts one of its core values social responsibility into practice. With early diagnosis and the use of modern therapy techniques, 80% of all cases of blindness are preventable. This is precisely the reason why Carl Zeiss has participated as the first industrial sponsor in the initiative `Vision 2020 The Right to Sight´. `Vision 2020´ has set itself the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness and to protect around 100 million people from suffering this fate by the year 2020.
Milestones in the development of surgical imaging techniques
The revolutionary development of microsurgery is based on milestones set by Carl Zeiss in close coop-eration with the pioneers of microsurgery. After the OPMI 1 surgical microscope became established in ENT surgery in 1953, a breakthrough was achieved in ophthalmology and other microsurgical disciplines in the mid-Sixties. In 1976 Carl Zeiss de-veloped a highly flexible suspension system for the effortless movement of the surgical microscope.
In the field of neurosurgery and ENT surgery, the in-troduction of an "autopilot" system in the early Nineties created a basis for more precise and gentler surgery. MultiVision technology is the most recent milestone to be launched. This integrates various types of information within a single system, permitting the projection of diagnostic and intraop-erative data into the surgical microscope. With the use of MultiVision, the surgical microscope becomes much more than the "eyes of the microsurgeon": it is a microsurgical cockpit from which everything can be controlled.
Innovative solutions to meet the require-ments of today and tomorrow
Leading neurosurgeons estimate that the number of spine operations will increase by 40% in the next five to seven years. To cope with this increasing number of cases, surgeons must develop new tech-niques which will allow them to make the smaller approaches required for minimally invasive techniques. In the field of spine surgery in particular, the ongoing development of minimally invasive procedures would only be possible to a limited extent without the use of the surgical microscope as an ideal tool for the visualization of deep-seated anatomical structures.
Leading surgeons report that the decrease in tissue trauma and blood loss per-mitted by the use of the surgical microscope re-sults in a reduction in patient pain and operating times. This in turn can lead to better surgical out-comes, shorter patient stays, and lower hospital costs.
In dentistry, too, the increasing use of the surgical microscope is allowing more effective and more re-liable forms of treatment than was possible with the traditional techniques used in the past. Opti-mum illumination and magnification permit the visu-alization of even the finest tooth and tissue struc-tures and allow the dentist to take the innovative approaches to diagnosis and therapy demanded by today's informed patients.
Dr. Monz explains the challenge facing Carl Zeiss as follows: "Our customers are looking not only for better and better methods to treat their patients and for instrument systems that will make their work as straightforward, convenient and safe as possible, but also for ways of increasing their productivity and hence their economic efficiency." In future, continued close dialogue and cooperation with the world's leading research institutes and universities will enable the company to meet the requirements of medicine by offering new developments sharply focused on current therapy trends.
One example: a diagnostic technique allows differentiation between various tissue types, e.g. healthy tissue from tumor tissue, during surgery. This visualization technology and new therapy tools, e.g. a plasma knife for precise and damage-free eye surgery, will enable surgeons to operate with even more precision and accuracy. The ongoing development of digital visualization technologies will enhance image documentation during surgery and hence optimize the quality of therapy.
With these new, leading-edge technologies, Carl Zeiss is coming closer and closer to the realization of its own corporate vision: "Since pioneering science in optics, we continue to challenge the limits of man's imagination. With our passion for excellence, we create value for our customers and inspire the world in new ways."
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