Results and conclusions

The PTM3D system features an easy-to-use user interface, enabling a rapid introduction to the software after just a few hours' training. In addition, online help in three languages is an important tool for occasional users. The system described was used to perform 14 percutaneous nephrolithotomies, 7 gastroplasties, 5 kidney punctures and 4 liver punctures, in a dozen hospitals in France and Spain. In all cases, the morphology of the patients (overweight) did not allow the use of ultrasound scanners to guide the procedure.

The installation of a video projector in the operating theatre was easily achieved, and its use has always been compatible with surgical constraints. The time saved during operations, the non-irradiation of patients and medical staff through the elimination of X-rays, and the confidence generated by the projection of images of organs and lesions...