Advanced technologies in plastic surgery: how new innovations can improve our training and practice.
Over the last two decades, virtual reality, haptics, simulators, robotics, and other "advanced technologies" have emerged as important innovations in medical learning and practice. Reports on simulator applications in medicine now appear regularly in the medical, computer science, engineering, and popular literature. The goal of this article is to review the emerging intersection between advanced technologies and surgery and how new technology is being utilized in several surgical fields, particularly plastic surgery. The authors also discuss how plastic and reconstructive surgeons can benefit by working to further the development of multimedia and simulated environment technologies in surgical practice and training.
Grunwald
Tiffany
T
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles and Stanford, Calif 90033, USA. grunwald@usc.edu
Krummel
Thomas
T
Sherman
Randy
R
D019090:Case Management; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D006801:Humans; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D019212:Multimedia; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000639:trends; D012371:Robotics; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D013664:Teaching Materials; D017216:Telemedicine; D053443:Visible Human Projects