High Tech Aids for Surgeons | Tomorrow Today

In an ultra-modern, high-tech facility for surgical planning in Leipzig, masses of collated data on patients are converted into 3-D images of the patients' heads. Doctors can remove skin and muscles and even parts of the brain from the virtual image in order to get a better view of a tumor inside.The virtual image can also be used to create a three-dimensional replica, allowing surgeons to test different procedures for removing the tumor and pick the most suitable approach. They say the models are helpful in planning the least invasive methods of surgery.