A state-of-the-art television screen is changing the way UT Southwestern neurosurgeons and their colleagues look at surgery.
The high-definition, wide-screen television was installed in an operating room at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, and surgeons say it is already impacting their surgical technique.
"This system is wonderful," said Dr. Thomas Kopitnik, professor of neurological surgery. "With this screen, the entire operating room can see the minute details of the surgery and follow closely along."
The $40,000 system was installed earlier this year. It is the first such system in the Southwest, according to the manufacturer, and includes a high-definition television plasma screen.
The 50-inch wide screen is installed on a wall in the operating room and, like a movie screen, shows images seen through the surgeon's microscope.
"This system is primarily for the benefit of staff involved with the specific operation," Kopitnik said. "Prior to installation of this system, only the operating surgeon had a clear view of the microsurgical portion of the operation."
The system allows everyone in the operating room to see clearly what is happening during the operation. As a result, nurses can actually anticipate doctors' needs.
"Now the scrub and circulating nurses see exactly what the operating surgeon sees with extremely high definition," said Kopitnik.
"During actual surgery, the scrub nurses usually anticipate the surgeon's next move because they can see much better what is going on under the microscope," said Scott Clamp, a database analyst in neurological surgery. "Assisting surgeons no longer have to depend on the microscope for a clear picture and ongoing status of the patient."
With the high-definition format, doctors also get an unprecedented look at the brain's tiny vascular structures, where aneurysms can occur.
Zale Lipshy, one of the adult referral hospitals for UT Southwestern physicians, plans to bring the system into two more neurological surgery operating rooms.
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