Richard Satava
University of Washington, USA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Surgery Curr Res
Non-healthcare industries have used a wide spectrum of energy-based systems for literally all different purposes, from manufacturing to artist creations, whereas only a small portion of these commercially available systems have been exploited by surgeons. Although many of the technologies are large and sophisticated image-guided systems, numerous other technologies are small, hand-held portable systems. Thus, many time-honored procedures will be performed as outpatient or office procedures with small, hand-held devices. Even as the fourth revolution in surgery in 25 years (robotic surgery) is gaining in popularity, a much more disruptive change is beginning with the next revolution: Directed energy for diagnosis and therapy (DEDAT). While surgeons have been investigating a few different types of energy for decades, including success with some forms such as lithotripsy, photonics, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), etc., these pioneering techniques are nothing but the tip of the iceberg that heralds the transition to non-invasive surgery. Such systems are based upon the premise which robotics and biomolecular technologies can bring ?? precision, speed and reliability, especially as surgery ??descends?? into operating at the cellular and molecular level. Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman was right ?? there is ??room at the bottom?!.
