Inventing the future in surgery in the digital world

Technological progress applied to minimally invasive surgery will inevitably lead to the concept of automated surgery, mimicking the evolution of aeronautics and more recently the automotive industry. Three joint developments corroborate this vision: virtual 3D imaging, robotics, and artificial intelligence. 

3D imaging uses virtual reality algorithms and allows a precise analysis of the anatomy of the organ to be operated, but also an interactivity between the image and the surgeon which allows a perfect, personalized simulation of the surgical procedure. Additionally, the superimposition of the virtual image on the real image leads to the concept of augmented reality and subsequently to transparent vision. 

Today, surgical robotics, i.e., simple telemanipulation using a master/slave relationship, will be enriched with virtual reality and augmented reality data, standing for a major and compulsory step towards procedural assistance (surgical GPS), then towards automated surgery. 

Finally, artificial intelligence, which has the ability to analyze millions of data, will support surgical decision-making, allowing to avoid ""an isolated surgeon’s strategy"", a scenario which involves too much emotional data. When integrated into the robotic system, artificial intelligence will then make it possible to manage the surgical act, for instance stopping any procedure that goes beyond validated standards, and the surgical maneuver subsequently becomes semi-automatic before being totally autonomous. 

The surgical revolution is underway-- surgical science and science fiction are coming together. "