New device enables more precise surgical operations

An innovative, new surgical device now allows doctors in Hong Kong to carry out less harmful operations to remove cancerous bones, Chinese University medical scientists said on Wednesday.

The computer-assisted tumour surgery allows an image fusion of pre-operative information. This includes computer tomography scans, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. This allows surgeons to perform more precise operations.

The scientists said it had been particularly helpful when operating on pelvic and sacral tumours and treating paediatric bone cancer.

“Surgical plans can be executed with the help of a computer navigation system to achieve a high level of precision and accuracy,’’ the scientists said. The new device reduces errors in bone re-section to less than two millimetres. Previously, such errors had been as much as 1cm.

The scientists said a major benefit of the gadget was it allowed doctors to order more accurately-shaped tumour prosthesis for patients who have had bones removed.

The technology has so far been applied to 32 bone cancer patients. “All our patients’ functions are satisfactory,” said Shekhar Kumta, a professor at the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the university’s Faculty of Medicine.