3D robotic surgery and training at a distance

The usage of 3D images and video in medical surgery and training applications contributes in the provision of more natural viewing conditions and improved diagnosis and operation. This is enabled by the recent advances in 3D video capturing and display technologies, as well as advances in robotics and network technologies. The latest advances in robotic surgery enable the performance of many surgical procedures; in particular, recent 3D endoscopes have improved the performance of minimally invasive surgical procedures. Based on these advances, performing or visualizing in real-time surgical procedures at a distance can be envisaged. In this chapter, we present a review of 3D robotic surgery and tele-surgery applications and a performance evaluation of 3D robotic tele-surgery and training over wireless networks based on the long-term evolution (LTE) 3GPP standard. Different scheduling strategies are compared and results are analyzed in term of the resulting quality of experience for the surgeon.