A fictional device that was once the stuff of movies is becoming a fixture in life-saving medical procedures.
Take Xinqiao Hospital in southwestern China, where a narcotized patient received liver cancer surgery from a physician who removed tumors with the help of the gadget, a mixed reality (MR) handset that can project a near 360-degree image of the target organ.
The device applied in the surgery was made by Microsoft. The wireless visor-like HoloLens is able to give surgeons a precise location of the surgical target or some hard-to-see parts.
Traditionally, images generated from scanning CT and MRI machines are key to surgeons' decisions. Only by analyzing the tumors based on pictures taken from different angles could surgeons decide when and how to remove the tumors.
But the weakness of the scanners is that the images produced are two-dimensional and surgeons have not always been able to provide a diagnosis of 100 percent accuracy without thorough viewing, a situation which may increase risks.
With the 3D model, surgeons don't have to flip back and forth those "black slices" as a reminder of the tumor position before surgery. All they need to do is to wear the glass and begin the operation.
The Microsoft HoloLens is shown in this publicity photo released to Reuters, January 21, 2015. /VCG Photo
"Real-time imaging-checking backup during the operation can help surgeons locate the tumor in a more accurate manner and allow us to perform better than conventional surgery, said Zheng Lu, the lead surgeon of the operation at Xinqiao Hospital.
According to Microsoft, its HoloLens so far has been focused on working with liver cancer patients, as well as with children and adults with heart conditions.
China's MR technology is at the early stage, especially when it comes to applications in organ navigation and hepatectomy. But a growing number of hospitals are gradually being equipped with this high-tech device for clinical trial and educational research.