Physical representation of the subarachnoid space
Three major technical improvements are expected to take place in the biomedical field. The first, telemedicine allows the medical community to be interconnected by telephone, Internet or other networks and the second is robotics, which will improve surgical accuracy. The third advancement is in the development of microinstruments and endoscopes, which now allow direct access to areas never before reached by surgery. Many disabled people have suffered damage to the spinal cord. This may be the result of an accident, cancer, degenerative disease or a congenital malformation. The MINOSC project has designed and evaluated a flexible microendoscope, which enables surgeons to view directly the damaged spinal cord. The position control system of the microendoscope was carefully defined, with simulations carried out on two physical models. One transparent, simplified model was similar to the subarachnoid space and based on geometrical anatomical characterisation. The subarachnoid space is filled with cerebrospinal fluid and surrounds the spinal cord. The other model was a full-scale replica of the spine. This was based on volumetric images of a real human body and made from moulded silicone. The two physical models of the anatomical structures allowed high resolution endoscopic simulations to be successfully carried out. This was as a result of their realistic representations of the human body, which helps in the development of new medical techniques and procedures.