Clinical application of three-dimensional (3-D) vision systems and virtual reality helmets in video-assisted surgery

Thoraco-Iaparoscopic surgery presents a series of technical difficulties linked mainly to the necessity of acquiring proper motor coordination and spatial reconstruction of an operative field that is seen from a distance on a two-dimensional video monitor, in the absence of any direct tactile feedback. In an effort to improve the motor coordination of the operating surgeon and of the surgical team, many apparatuses have recently become available on the market that allow the reproduction of a 3-Dimage on a video monitor. Such apparatuses have technical characteristics that are substantially diverse in technology and provide signifi- cantly different end results.