The successful outcome of any minimally invasive procedure is highly dependent on the imaging\nchain, as the medical team has to rely on indirect visualization of the surgical field during the entire\nprocedure. During the last decade, the quality of the images obtainable pre- and intraoperatively\nhas evolved significantly. In addition to the introduction of intra-operative image acquisition\ntechniques such as ultrasound, X-ray, CT or MR, optical imaging technology as well as the corresponding\nprocessing units have undergone a rapid development. The article will review the activity\nrelated to minimally invasive procedures at the Operating Rooms of the Future (FOR) at St.\nOlavs Hospital, University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway. The imaging related demands of several\nsurgical fields are introduced and the evolution of the imaging and visualization techniques at\nFOR will be presented. Subsequently, ongoing research projects in a dedicated visualization laboratory\nwill be discussed and the advantages of updating the imaging equipment continuously in\norder to keep up with the latest developments in the field will be presented. It will be shown that\nthe quality of the image acquisition and display can be significantly improved when compared to\ntoday�s standard. In addition to increasing the surgeon�s confidence, better imaging will lead to\nincreased patient safety as well as more efficient interventions.
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