Organs appear as holograms and the analytical view of the inside of the body is becoming increasingly sophisticated: the November issue of bild der Wissenschaft focuses on exciting developments in medical technology. Accordingly, virtual reality procedures are now increasingly finding their way into surgery and innovative computer and magnetic resonance tomography techniques are opening up new possibilities for early detection of diseases.
Something is no longer working properly, or even life-threatening processes are underway: As is well known, health problems can have a serious impact on the human quality of life or end life prematurely. People have always tried to resist this fate – and have achieved considerable success in doing so. In addition to the development of medications, forms of treatment and preventative measures, engineering achievements have also made a significant contribution: medical technology has opened up effective ways to detect and treat diseases. Throughout history, the latest technologies of an era have always been incorporated into medical technology innovations. This is now also reflected in current developments.
The focus of the first article in the three-part title topic is virtual reality. The bdw author Tim Schröder reports on how this technology is currently finding its way into surgery in the form of so-called holomedicine. Virtual three-dimensional images from inside the patient are used to plan operations and also serve as a guide during their course. This is particularly important for tricky procedures on sensitive organs such as the liver or pancreas. The author explains how these virtual reality processes work and what challenges the developers still have to contend with. However, the futuristic-looking technology can already effectively save lives, according to the article “A Liver Made of Light”.
Advances in diagnostic technologies
The bdw technology editor Ralf Butscher then reports on further developments in computer tomography (CT). This imaging procedure has long made it possible to detect health problems inside the body and examine them in detail. Now innovative techniques are sharpening the insights more and more: While conventional CT technology averages the X-rays passing through the body, a new detector concept now counts every single photon. This means that a significantly higher resolution can be achieved and body tissues reveal more information. Another innovative tomography method also offers similar advantages. The highlight is that it not only measures the attenuation of the X-rays, but also records its scattering, reports Butscher in the article “Photon counters and dark fields”.
The third article in the title topic is also about an important diagnostic technology: There are also exciting developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), reports Butscher. One problem so far is that MRI machines are heavy, bulky and expensive. This is why this particularly powerful technology cannot yet be made available in many poorer countries. But that could soon change, because a German research team has now significantly “slimmed down” the MRI technology. Butscher reports in the article “Light Sharpness” how they managed to do this without major losses in performance.
You can read the articles on the title topic “Virtual Reality in the Operating Room” online as part of a bdw+ subscription, or you can find them in the November edition from Bild der Wissenschaft, which will be available in stores from October 18th.