Europe broadcasts live 3D, full HD transmission of surgery

A live broadcast of a surgical operation, transmitted in full high definition and 3D, has been filmed in Liège, Belgium. The event - both a world and European first - was carried out by the University Hospital (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire/CHU) of Liège.

The footage, which was viewed in downtown Liège, ten kilometres from the hospital, was made possible thanks to close collaboration between a group of sixteen companies and members of TWIST, a network for audiovisual and multimedia technologies in the Wallonia (French-speaking area) of Belgium.

The process of image capture, transmission and projection was developed by Professor Jacques G. Verly and a team from the Laboratory for Signal and Image Exploitation (INTELSIG) of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Institut Montefiore) of Liège University. The technology allowed a packed theatre of spectators to interact live with the surgical team back at the hospital, led by President of the Belgian Society of Neurosurgery, Professor Didier Martin.

Although the recording and transmission of surgical procedures is not, in itself, a new development, the transmission of a 3D surgical operation over such a large distance is a European first. The type of technology used – particularly the PRISTINE electronic boards from IntoPIX – is certainly a world first.

To find out more about the transmissions, visit the TWIST website.

Published: Monday, 29th March 2010 by Tom Freeman

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