Global consultations

Advanced teleconferencing technology is being used to allow neurosurgeons to provide consultancy and education around the world without them having to travel to where they are needed.

The Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona has recently designed and constructed the $1.1 million MedPresence Conference Room. Dubbed an "immersion conference/classroom", it allows individuals to view neurosurgery from multiple vantage points including the surgeon's point of view. The system also allows for dialogue among individuals in the operating room, the conference room, and remotely connected parties. Life-size video and synchronized audio in the conference room give participants the sense of being in the operating theatre.

Students stationed at consoles can view magnified images of the surgery taking place and simultaneously use computers to find reference images. The system also allows other doctors to electronically send medical information and radiological images to Barrow physicians, who then can provide suggestions before observing the operation remotely.