The “Innovation Center for Computer Assisted Surgery” (ICCAS) at the Medical Faculty is an interdisciplinary cooperation between the disciplines surgery, computer science and medical engineering. It is one of the six awardees of the "Centers for Innovation Competence: Create Excellence - Foster Talent" programme of the “German Federal Ministry of Education and Research”.
The increasing implementation of Information and Communication Technology is rapidly changing the surgical health care environment. Image processing, integration of biological signals, mechatronics and system safety issues are the main areas of development. Similar to other high-tech fields, an interdisciplinary way of thinking and a common language is required for both, surgeons and engineers. Only then Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS) will become a scientific discipline that balances technical possibilities and clinical requirements in the upcoming era of technologically enhanced surgery. Economic considerations are of equal importance to justify new technological applications in times of increasing health care budget restrictions.
The scientists started their work in March 2005 in two working groups “Scientific Methods” and “Surgical PACS and Mechatronics”.
The main research of ICCAS focuses on:
- the analysis of surgical processes using surgical workflows
- the integration of surgical assist systems in the operating theatre and the development of a “Surgical Picture Acquisition and Communication System” (S-PACS). The basis for this is also the development of a common standard like a “DICOM in surgery”
- the systematic clinical evaluation of surgical assist systems.
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