Healthc Inform Res.  2012 Sep;18(3):158-163. 10.4258/hir.2012.18.3.158.

Application of Stereo-Imaging Technology to Medical Field

• Nam KW
• Park J
• Kim IY
• Kim KG

• KMID: 2229465
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2012.18.3.158

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
There has been continuous development in the area of stereoscopic medical imaging devices, and many stereoscopic imaging devices have been realized and applied in the medical field. In this article, we review past and current trends pertaining to the application stereo-imaging technologies in the medical field.
METHODS
We describe the basic principles of stereo vision and visual issues related to it, including visual discomfort, binocular disparities, vergence-accommodation mismatch, and visual fatigue. We also present a brief history of medical applications of stereo-imaging techniques, examples of recently developed stereoscopic medical devices, and patent application trends as they pertain to stereo-imaging medical devices.
RESULTS
Three-dimensional (3D) stereo-imaging technology can provide more realistic depth perception to the viewer than conventional two-dimensional imaging technology. Therefore, it allows for a more accurate understanding and analysis of the morphology of an object. Based on these advantages, the significance of stereoscopic imaging in the medical field increases in accordance with the increase in the number of laparoscopic surgeries, and stereo-imaging technology plays a key role in the diagnoses of the detailed morphologies of small biological specimens.
CONCLUSIONS
The application of 3D stereo-imaging technology to the medical field will help improve surgical accuracy, reduce operation times, and enhance patient safety. Therefore, it is important to develop more enhanced stereoscopic medical devices.

Keyword

Stereoscopic Vision; Visual Information; Visual System; Human Factor

MeSH Terms

Asthenopia
Depth Perception
Diagnostic Imaging
Laparoscopy
Patient Safety
Vision Disparity
Vision, Ocular

Figure

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  Figure 1 Basic structure of the stereoscopic system. (A) Parallel-camera structure, (B) beam-splitter structure.

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  Figure 2 Principle of vergence-accommodation mismatch in 3-dimensional (3D) display.

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  Figure 3 Lenticular stereoscope suggested by Brewster [12].

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  Figure 4 The 3-dimensional stereoscopic endoscope developed by the National Cancer Center, Korea.

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  Figure 5 Stereoscopic endoscope with two embedded camera modules (A) and a master console screen (B) of the da Vinci surgical robot (C) system in the National Cancer Center, Korea.

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  Figure 6 Worldwide patent application trend in 3D imaging technology for the medical field [18]. Reproduced by permission of the New Convergence Technology Standards Division, Korea Agency for Technology and Standards.

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