4K displays detailed images in endoscopic spine surgery

Dr Akira Dezawa, Director of Dezawa PED Center, shares his experience using Sony 4K surgical monitors with A.I.M.E. technology during minimally invasive spinal surgery.

How we helped
The Challenge
  • Difficulty in clearly resolving nerves, blood vessels and surrounding tissues during spinal endoscopic procedures
The Solution
  • Sony 4K medical monitors with A.I.M.E. technology enhance colour and contrast for easier viewing of endoscopic camera images
The Outcome
  • The surgeon can perceive fine structures with improved discrimination and sense of depth
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The A.I.M.E. enhanced images are very bright, and the areas that are of interest to me as a surgeon are very clear and easy to see.

Dr Akira Dezawa
Director of Dezawa PED Center, Japan

4K with A.I.M.E. improves depth perception

Akira Dezawa M.D. Ph.D is Director of Dezawa PED Center. He specialises in spinal, hip joint and minimally invasive surgery. While performing minimally invasive endoscopic surgery on a young patient with a herniated disc, he assessed the image quality of Sony’s 4K medical monitors with A.I.M.E.™ (Advanced Image Multiple Enhancer) technology that enhances colour and contrast in displayed camera images.

“To recognise slow tissue movement and judge whether it’s a nerve are really important as a surgeon. 4K has a clear advantage in grasping tiny movements of blood vessels and other surrounding tissue and allows us to view the tissue with a far better sense of depth.

“The A.I.M.E.-enhanced images are very bright, and the areas of interest to me—as a surgeon—are very clear and easy to see. With A.I.M.E. turned off [example 1], the image is watery and blurred. With A.I.M.E. turned on, the entire area seems to gain focus. In addition, I think the A.I.M.E. contrast enhancements may make the image easier to read.”

Two set of surgical images showing how the image improves with A.I.M.E.™ (Advanced Image Multiple Enhancer) feature turned on in Sony 4K monitor
A surgeons view of twin monitors displaying endoscopic image from across the hospital bed during an surgery

Enhanced colours, clarity and contrast

Dr Dezawa also notes the ability of A.I.M.E. to enhance colour in displayed endoscopic images. “In this example [example 2], A.I.M.E. seems to improve the overall red contrast, so that the image may be easier to view. It allows me to recognise the blood current, and to discriminate between tissues easily. Although we often perform surgery while seeing dark images, A.I.M.E. shows dynamic image quality changes more clearly and sharply, allowing me to proceed with the surgery with an awareness of positional relations. It’s so helpful to differentiate between tissues with confidence.

“I also notice that, even in cases where the endoscopic camera was focusing on the foreground, the areas further back—that you would expect to be out of focus—are clear as well. I think this would probably reduce the need to move the camera around during surgery.