Navigation and visualisation in liver surgery -: Current situation

Since less than ten years increasing efforts are undertaken within the framework of international projects through of a few teams, to facilitate the application of navigation techniques also for the liver surgery. Up to now the application of navigated instruments was possible only in surgical compartments that dealt with the therapy at inflexible anatomical structures (bone) or at soft parts surrounded with bones (brain). Succeeded first of all for the prefunctional planning in developing different software-systems that contribute to a better evaluation and patient selection. There are currently in the testing phase several alternative approaches for the transformation of the planning results. For the conventional liver resection a navigation tool could be used already successfully. Within the framework of the FUSION-project a prototype is now also for the first time developed and tested for the intraoperative tracking of laparoscopic instruments. Future developments on the field of the navigation technology let on the one hand significant progress in the therapy surgical relevant liver illnesses' and to expect also considerable synergy effects to other concerning health-economic consequences.