With the development of laparoscopic technology, radical surgery for gastric cancer has gradually evolved from traditional open surgery to minimally invasive surgery with the advantages of less trauma, less bleeding, faster recovery, and fewer postoperative complications, and three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic technology has transformed the surgery from a “minimally invasive model” to a better outcome.
How does 3D laparoscopic technology work?
3D laparoscopy is a new way to move from a “minimally invasive model” to one with better outcomes.
3D laparoscopic technology uses the bionic principle of the human eye, similar to watching a 3D movie, where the operator’s eyes receive images from the left and right lens systems and converge to create a 3D visual effect. In addition to the usual “planar” information in the horizontal and vertical directions, 3D laparoscopy gives the surgeon “depth” information, better restoring a sense of three-dimensionality and hierarchy of the organ tissues, and better enabling the surgeon to perform operations such as suturing and digestive tract reconstruction under the scope. The 3D laparoscope also gives the surgeon a better sense of “depth” and a better sense of layering of the organ tissues.
What are the features of 3D laparoscopy?
3D laparoscopy has the following advantages:
- Provides a more realistic, broader field of view and more accurate spatial positioning, allowing the operator to perform more delicate surgical operations under the scope, greatly reducing the length of the procedure, reducing intraoperative bleeding, and facilitating the reconstruction of the GI tract and reducing the incidence of complications.
- The ability to display the organ tissue level and anatomical spatial structure more precisely, thus improving the degree of tumor eradication, reducing the risk of recurrence, and improving the final outcome of patients.
- The operator’s use is closer to stereoscopic realistic vision, which can reduce the difficulty of laparoscopic operation and shorten the learning curve.
Of course, 3D laparoscopic technology has its drawbacks, as it is inconvenient for magnification of the operative field, and even slight adjustments to the lens can cause large shifts in the operative field, causing dizziness and visual fatigue for the operator.
How is 3D laparoscopy used in gastric cancer?
In gastric cancer surgery, the advantages of 3D laparoscopy are twofold: a better three-dimensional recognition of the anatomical levels and a better ability to perform delicate operations when anastomosing the digestive tract.
Some studies have reported shorter operative times, less intraoperative bleeding, and lower rates of postoperative complications with 3D laparoscopy than with 2D laparoscopy for radical gastric cancer treatment. Of course, more research is needed to validate this advantage. The current use in gastric cancer surgery shows that physicians are increasingly relying on the stereoscopic level advantage offered by 3D laparoscopic technology, but the economic cost of the technology does not yet allow for universal access.
3D laparoscopy is also being “upgraded”
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It has been suggested that traditional 3D laparoscopy provides only a three-dimensional image of the surgical area, but not the internal structures that lie beneath the surface of the organ. Using emerging camera technology, researchers have developed a real-time stereoscopic augmented reality (AR) system for laparoscopic surgery by combining laparoscopic ultrasound with stereoscopic video. In addition to bringing realistic depth perception and better rendering of spatial relationships between abdominal structures, the system enables observation of critical internal structures and a more comprehensive image of the surgical area. The mastery of this emerging technology by laparoscopic surgeons will help improve laparoscopic surgery and drive minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery in a more minimally invasive and precise direction.