A breakthrough technology for three-dimensional visualisation of medical imaging data.
Balloon pulmonary angioplasty in a patient with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), supported by a 3D hologram and by a radiologist joining remotely.
- 45 procedures
- Confirmed use of CarnaLife Holo in the treatment of CTEPH at ECZ Otwock
- 2–6 mm
- Diameter of the vessels the operator navigates — up to 100 in a single lung
- Remote support
- A radiologist in Warsaw saw the theatre through the operating physician's eyes
- Product
- CarnaLife Holo
- Client
- ECZ Otwock
- Field
- Interventional cardiology
The technology.
CarnaLife Holo supports the planning and performance of medical procedures. With Microsoft HoloLens 2, the physician can see in real space a three-dimensional hologram reflecting the structure of a given anatomical area. The user can interact with the displayed hologram through gestures and voice commands or a virtual menu, without breaking sterility.
The goggles act as an auxiliary interactive 3D screen that can be used when planning a procedure as well as anywhere in the operating theatre, at any moment during surgery. Another important feature is the ability to work with Microsoft Teams, which makes remote support for the physician possible.
CarnaLife Holo works with PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), which allows data to be visualised directly from the hospital's IT system and keeps the physician's workflow uninterrupted. The user can interact with the displayed image through gestures and voice commands: rotate it, scale it, move it, and even step inside the anatomical structure.
The challenge.
At ECZ Otwock, one of the best hospitals in Poland, Professor Marcin Kurzyna and Dr Szymon Darocha successfully performed an angioplasty on a patient with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), with remote support from the radiologist Dr Łukasz Kownacki.
In such a procedure the surgical team works on blood vessels 2–6 millimetres in diameter, of which there may be as many as 100 in a single lung. Finding the vessels that qualify for angioplasty and reaching them with a balloon catheter is a considerable challenge for the operator. Precise diagnostics are essential here — and that is what CarnaLife Holo provides.
What CTEPH is
CTEPH is an unfavourable outcome of an episode of acute pulmonary embolism and consists in the incomplete dissolution of thrombi in the pulmonary arteries. In CTEPH, blood flow through the lungs decreases, pressure in the pulmonary artery rises excessively and right ventricular failure develops.
The symptoms of heart failure are a gradual deterioration of physical capacity, breathlessness on ever smaller exertion, fainting, oedema of the lower limbs and the accumulation of fluid in the pleura and peritoneum. As the disease progresses it can lead to the patient's death.
The solution.
The physicians were able to see the structure of the pulmonary arteries as a hologram. The image displayed as a 3D hologram through HoloLens 2 allows orientation within the complex structure of the patient's internal organs and helps establish the optimal course of the balloon pulmonary angioplasty.
In addition, because of the pandemic, the medical team was supported remotely from Warsaw by the radiologist Dr Łukasz Kownacki. Remote access made it possible to see the operating theatre, the patient and the whole procedure through the eyes of the operating physician. Using Microsoft HoloLens 2, the entire medical team could not only watch the procedure but also hear what was happening, communicate with one another and adjust the medical data displayed on the hologram to the physician's needs.
- A 3D hologram of every branch of the pulmonary artery in real space
- Navigation in vessels 2–6 mm across, up to 100 of them in a single lung
- Remote support from a radiologist in Warsaw — vision and sound from theatre
- Hologram controlled by gesture and voice, with sterility maintained
Balloon pulmonary angioplasty in a patient with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a treatment that demands exceptional precision. CarnaLife Holo is an excellent support, making it possible to view a three-dimensional hologram of every branch of the pulmonary artery in real space. It is an extremely helpful tool where precise navigation matters. As a result, using CarnaLife Holo shortens the duration of the procedure and increases its safety.
Summary.
The applicability of CarnaLife Holo in the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has been confirmed many times over, across 45 procedures using our technology at ECZ Otwock.
Combining intraoperative holographic visualisation of medical structures with a remote connection opens up entirely new, unique possibilities in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are convinced that we will benefit from it as a society once the pandemic is over as well.
Would you like more details of the deployment?.
The PDF document contains the details of the CarnaLife Holo deployment at ECZ Otwock.
See the other case studies.
Surgical oncology, vascular surgery and orthopaedics — the full list of clinical deployments.
Would you like to see CarnaLife Holo in your centre?.
We will arrange a demonstration on your own imaging data and walk you through how the deployment at ECZ Otwock went.