The gallbladder concentrates and stores bile as a pear-shaped sac which it can release to help digestion after a fatty meal.
Modern medical research is not concentrated on a single discipline. The interdisciplinary approach was shown to provide many benefits involved in dealing with currently prevalent medical issues and rare diseases alike. Besides the pharmaceutical and surgical research, a number of different branches of science and the industry have joined the business of finding better ways to heal people.
The most cutting edge research of today has to do with finding new and better ways to implement computer science into the field of surgery. Government agencies, the military and defense industry, universities, hospital research centers, independent research labs and non-profits are all looking into new breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics in order to improve upon existing treatments. Research is also performed with the aim of developing mathematical algorithms that will allow quantification and assessment of surgical skills.
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The surgical research laboratory is located at St. Luke's hospital on the 11th floor. The proximity to the Columbia University undergraduate campus has fostered many successful collaborations. Our lab has been home to many innovations in surgical technique and physiology.
Early experiments in the research laboratory included the analysis of surgical movements with the first-generation da Vinci device. Quantification of surgical movements with MATLAB is much easier when looking at shape tracing such as the figure-of-eight demonstrated.
The FLS training module is shown being adapted to endoscopic techniques in preparation for NOTES training. Certification and training are important for both residents as well as attending medical and surgical practitioners.
Robotic nerve grafting is shown being performed in an animal model. The procedure has hypothetical benefit for the reversal of sympathectomy performed or hyperhidrosis. Initial experiments included pathologic confirmation of the nerve at time of sympathectomy and then documentation of healthy nerve…
Flight path data from surgical movements are recorded from the da Vinci Robot API. This series demonstrates the difficulty with looking at a complex motion like knot-tying. Although geometric sequences are amenable to simple calculations, complex movements require machine learning algorithms.
The research laboratory at St. Luke's Hospital is very well equipped with machinery that allows laparoscopic, thoracoscopic, and endoscopic approaches to surgical problems. Often times complex procedures require a combination of visual approaches and instrumentation.
An experiment first performed the in lab demonstrated the use of single port surgery using an endoscope for abdominal mesh hernia repair. The increased flexibility of the endoscope allowed for creating a sub-fascial tunnel and retroflexion to visualize optimize mesh placement.
Dr. Belsley works with Dr. Connery in evaluating robotic methods of sympathectomy reversal. One part of that research includes the clinical documentation of the thermographic changes that occur during both sympathectomy and sympathectomy reversal.
Another shutter delay shot combined with a Fish-Eye lens gives appropriate perspective on the technology applied during these series of experiments
A laparoscopic suturing module is demonstrated. This simulation system allows residents to practice on a safe training system prior to attempting any procedures in the operating room. The rapid progression of technology has ironically in some ways limited the widespread adoption. Computer hardware…
Further experiments are being performed attempting to use the API and mathematical alogrithms to allow a quantification of surgical skill.
The RP7 Remote Presence System is a robotic device that a physician can use to project his/herself to another location to move around, see, hear, talk and interact as though he or she was actually there.
Although the mechanics seem rudimentary- these early experiments demonstrated limitations with perspective. Typical visual cues with motion tracking are lost when using a scope with a different point of view other than that used during a typical robotic case.