New sensor technology for multispectral clinical imaging (NEOSPEK)

In surgery, visual impressions such as color and structure are used to distinguish healthy from diseased tissue. In many situations, however, the perceptible contrast is only weak. In the "Neospek" project, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin and St. Georg Klinikum Eisenach, is developing a visualizing assistance system that automatically highlights tissue characteristics. For this purpose, novel cameras and techniques are used in the operating room that capture both the three-dimensional shape and the light spectra of the tissue in each pixel. The data is analyzed in real time and continuously evaluated by an artificial intelligence. For example, tumor cells can be visibly delineated from healthy tissue. This supporting display can significantly facilitate the work of surgeons in the future.