[Virtual reality in liver surgery-Planning, advanced training, testing].

Anatomical structures of the liver could be reconstructed three dimensionally from preoperative cross-sectional imaging for over 20 years. This three-dimensional (3D) representation not only optimizes the preoperative planning options but also the communication of specific operation-relevant structures can be improved using 3D models. In addition to a plastic and interactive visualization of 3D organ models, the disruptive technology of virtual reality (VR) can also provide a possibility for structured training and further education regarding surgical anatomy of the liver and operation planning.

Leveraging Phase Information of 3D Isotropic Ultrashort Echo Time Pulmonary MRI for the Detection of Thoracic Lymphadenopathy: Toward an All-in-One Scan Solution.

Background: Ultrashort echo time (UTE) allows imaging of tissues with short relaxation times, but it comes with the expense of long scan times. Magnitude images of UTE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are widely used in pulmonary imaging due to excellent parenchymal signal, but have insufficient contrast for other anatomical regions of the thorax. Our work investigates the value of UTE phase images (UTE-Ps)-generated simultaneously from the acquired UTE signal used for the magnitude images-for the detection of thoracic lymph nodes based on water-fat contrast.

Financial Toxicity and Unemployment in Patients with Major Lower Limb Amputation are High.

Background: Major limb amputation can place a significant financial burden on patients and their families because of costs of care and loss of income, encapsulated by the concept of financial toxicity.We sought to measure and understand factors associated with financial toxicity among patients undergoing major lower limb amputation for diabetic foot ulcers or peripheral arterial disease.

Methods: We identified patients in an institutional database who received lower limb amputations and excluded patients who underwent amputation due to known trauma or cancer.

Modified Delphi Procedure to Achieve Consensus for the Concept of a National Curriculum for Minimally Invasive and Robot-assisted Surgery in Germany (GeRMIQ).

The rapid development of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and robot-assisted surgery (RAS) requires standardized training to ensure high-quality patient care. In Germany, there is currently a lack of a standardized curriculum that teaches these specialized skills. The aim of this study is to find a consensus for the development of a nationwide curriculum for MIS and RAS with the subsequent implementation of the consented content.