3D Surgical has developed a 3D vision system to enable surgeons to take keyhole surgery to the next level. Currently, keyhole surgery is performed using 2D laparoscopes. The lack of depth perception associated with 2D leads to difficulties for the surgeon and this in turn leads to errors and subsequent patient morbidity and increased litigation. It also makes for slower and less efficient surgery, higher healthcare costs and increases the difficulty of acquiring laparoscopic techniques by trainee surgeons. 

First generation 3D laparoscopic systems tried to address these problems but required surgeons to wear impractical headgear with flicker from their screens causing eye-strain and headaches.  3D Surgical’s second generation 3D laparoscope uses a unique display system to overcome these issues. It enables surgery to be performed with greater ease, efficiency and precision. The system has been validated by surgeons and causes no side-effects.

The system improves a surgeon’s ability to perform laparoscopic surgery, giving the following benefits:
Better precision and accuracy so fewer errors
Greater safety for the patient
Fewer mistakes lead to less litigation
Quicker learning by trainees so shorter ‘learning curve’
Increased ease of operating leading to less strain on the surgeon
Faster completion of surgical tasks resulting in reduced operating time and more efficient use of theatres
Increases range of procedures amenable to laparoscopic surgery

3D Surgical’s three dimensional laparoscopy vision system consists of four main components:
A laparoscope fitted with two cameras that is of similar dimensions to a standard 2D unit, manipulated by the surgeon in exactly the same way as the 2D units currently in use
A custom monitor that displays distinct images to each eye to give the perception of 3D
Head tracking hardware
Image processing electronics

The display uses two liquid crystal colour displays (LCDs) with full TV resolution. One standard video input channel provides an image which only appears to the viewer's left eye, whilst a second video channel provides a different image (perspective view) which only appears to the viewer's right eye. The head position data received from the head-tracking module is used to ensure that this condition is maintained when the surgeon moves around. This is in stark contrast to previous systems which have required the surgeon to wear cumbersome headgear.

Position information from the head tracker is used to control the convergence and direction of the light from the light source and, thus, the position of the viewing region for each eye. The mechanisms for achieving the required light control are simple and robust and are protected by patents. Off the shelf components are used in most areas, except for the unique lenticular screen.