Easily led

To make ‘keyhole’ heart operations safer and easier to perform

researchers are developing an image-guidance system for robotic surgeons.

Minimally invasive heart surgery, in which the surgeon operates via tiny endoscopic cameras and specialised instruments, cuts the mortality risk and leads to faster, less painful recovery than conventional open chest procedures.

But the technique limits the surgeon’s view of the patient, said Dr Daniel Rueckert, senior lecturer in computing at Imperial College. ‘Robotic surgery is getting increasingly accepted as a tool for minimally invasive surgery, but there is a strong need to provide image guidance for surgeons, because they usually have a very limited field of view through the endoscopic cameras.’

Traditional image-guided robotic surgery is more often used for operations on the bones and joints or the brain, which do not move during the procedure.

But when operating on the heart or the blood vessels attached to it, such as during bypass surgery, the patient’s heart is continually beating. Tracking a moving target makes it even more difficult for surgeons operating with an already restricted view.