Computer- and robot-based operation theatre of the future in cranio-facial surgery

This paper presents an overview of our research in medical high-tech computing and robot-based surgical intervention in cranio facial surgery defining an operation theatre of the future. Our overall goal is to provide improved operation methods and workflows including higher quality, increased safety and more economy due to shorter operation time and less postoperative treatment. Our operation theatre of the future includes workflow definition as well as high-tech hardand software systems for preand intraoperative steps and the operation room itself. The system’s workflow consists of dedicated tasks for image acquisition up to intraoperative application which jointly integrate to a workflow attending conventional surgical proceeding. Thus, managing high complex systems like surgical robots or operation planning tools is easy as we follow the surgeon’s well known preand intraoperative process. Modules within the workflow can be categorized by image acquisition, data modeling, operation planning and simulation, and supervision of surgery or intraoperative execution respectively. The intraoperative setting of the operation theatre of the future involves as example visualization techniques for Virtual and Augmented Reality, heartlung-machine-control and the application of surgical robotics. The workflow settings with first system modules of our operation theatre of the future already showed it’s potential during first clinical evaluation and have been presented on the largest german exhibition for medical systems called MEDICA last year.