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Sam Penrod Reporting A Utah company is playing a big role in helping doctors see exactly what they need to do in the complicated surgery to separate the Herrin twins.
This new technology may be the future of surgery, giving doctors and surgeons a 3-D hologram to see a patient's anatomy from all sides. The company is Holorad and this is the second twin separation surgery they have provided these type of 3-D images for.
They are created from a patient's Cat Scan or MRI and then converted digitally through a laser, and then onto an actual film that is developed, like an X-ray.
Seeing it on TV here does not do it justice, but what it does is give the doctors a real space type of image that is accurate and life-sized, that is easy to study before an operation and even during surgery, like it is being used today.
Danny Burman, President Holorad: "The orthopedic surgeons specifically are using the holograms to be able to determine the best approach to this very complex surgery. The holograms are in the operating room with them to be able to refer to them during the surgery. And we, of course, all hope for the best outcome."
The image is an electronic re-creation of the Herrin twins, so you can see for yourself how complex of an operation it really is. Holorad can create these type of images for a patient and have them back to a doctor in less than 24 hours. The company says the doctors are finding it very helpful.
So far, the company says in just a few months, it is getting more and more customers who are using this technology all over the country.