Laparoscopy

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Laparoscopic opertion

Laparoscopic operation, or minimally invasive surgery, is a surgical technique where the surgeon operates through small openings (so called key-holes) in the abdomen wall.

For the patient Laparoscopic operation has several advantages such as smaller scars, less dehydration and faster recovery. For the surgeon it introduces more disadvantages.

No direct control over the laparoscope

The first disadvanage is that during laparoscopic surgery the surgeon has no direct control over what is presented on the screen. Since the surgeon needs both hands to perform the operation, an assisstent assist in holding and directing the laparoscope. The typical behavior of the surgeon is to refrain from movement and also requirering the assistent not to move. As descirbed here, the possibility to move allows for perception of the spatial structure.

Tools not optimized for the task

The second disadvantage is that the design of instruments still follow the tradition of classical surgical instruments designed for conventional surgery. Contrary to conventional surgery where surgeons have full freedom with resepct to moving instruments, during laparoscopy surgeons have to operate with instruments that are limited in degrees of freedom due to fixed at the point they enter the abdomen. Initial explorative design/research shows the potential of taking a novel approach to the design of the laparoscopic manipulators.

In sum, the surgeon is put in the situation with reduced control over manipulation and minimal control over visualization. This is not good.

The next pages describe research conducted aiming to improve the situation for the surgeon by restoring the link between (explorative) action and (visual) perception, specifically the implementation of the Deflt Vitrual Window System

In the context of Gibson's Ecological Approach to Visual Perception the link between action and perception during laparoscopic operation was studied and attempted to improve. This was documented in the thesis: Affording Action - Implementing Perception-Action coupling for Endoscopy [Voorhorst 1998, 7.6Mb]

Kees Overbeeke - Interaction design & Affordances

Tom Djajadiningrat - Tangible interaction

John Flach - Ecological system design and cognitive engineering

Caroline Hummels - POP, for insiders, expert in Wizard of Oz studies