Simulating interventions and supporting intraoperative decisions in plastic surgery

In the last decade a number of environments for Computer Supported Plastic Surgery have been presented. Nevertheless an overall approach for training and intraoperative support is still missing or has not been widely exploited yet. We developed a fully integrated system which allows surgical simulation, planning and support for computer guided plastic surgery procedures starting from image acquisition to final intraoperative assistance. The system also provides the user with a radiological workstation able to analyze patient medical images and case studies, with advanced bidimensional and three dimensional image processing functionalities. We intend to demonstrate that an extremely integrated and general purpose platform for surgical training, planning and support with advanced simulation capabilities can be built at an affordable cost and may be adopted by plastic surgeons in teaching and training of complex surgical planning. Due to the modular structure of the system, the radiological workstation is also capable to support radiologist and surgeons in real patient case studies. Moreover results of simulation can be used in the operating room with a relatively high benefit in terms of improved accuracy, reduction of surgical risks and decrease in training costs.