European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday february 12, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 simulating surgery on video by Nicholas 0. Kristof new York times Ever so carefully. Or. Brennan sliced bump off his nose and carve some Loose skin from his neck. Is that better he joked As he pointed at the Al do screen before him. Brennan a plastic surgeon had just operated on his own image on the video screen to show How he might look after some cosmetic surgery. His before picture occupied the left half of the screen the after shot filled the right half. Brennan is one of a Small group of plastic surgeons in the United states who is using computers to show patients what they might look like after a Facelift a Chin augmentation a breast reduction or other measures. He installed his computers a few months ago and Many other doctors Are Likely to do the same. I think that in five years you will not see a cosmetic surgeon s office without one of these said or. Ron shipped who has used his practice in a Denver suburb to Pioneer the use of videos in plastic surgery. Interest in the Imp technology is focused in Southern California where cosmetic surgery is a growth Industry. In a land where Tulky buttocks and listing noses Are scorned Modem science is doing what it can. Cynics would say the result is the marriage of two californian manias technology and narcissism. Those who use the system dismiss such comments. They Hall the technology As a Way to reassure patients help doctors and show the possibilities of modern surgery. In the past we would stand the patient in front of a Mirror and try to simulate what would said Pferman. Who has practices in Beverly Holte and Newport Beach and is president of the american association of cosmetic surgeons. Or we would take a photo and sketch the changes. But it was with the new system the patient sits in front of a camera and is photographed from several positions. The image appears on the computer screen and is cropped so that the face or other body part ills the screen. Then the image is duplicated on the right Side of the screen. And the doctor uses an electronic Pencil on a special Board to make changes. The computer can add flesh or subtract it. A Chin expands a face becomes Rounder a jutting Eyebrow shrivel a breast inflates lines vanish. Even hair can be added to show the result of a hair transplant. Doctor say thai on potential problem is that the computer can do More with an image than surgeons can do with a face. It s Good in giving patients an idea of what can be done said or. Henry k. Kawamoto jr., who does not have a computer video in his cosmetic surgery practice in Santa Monica. But often our goals Are sabotaged by nature. We Don t really have control Over How wounds heal How nature will respond. If a scar heals very poorly we May not get the result we want. It could be used by unscrupulous individuals who could Promise the Moon and not deliver like a false advertisement Kawamoto added. Proponents of the system concede that risk although they note that even without a computer a plastic surgeon can Promise a More alluring result than is medically possible. Enthusiasts also speak glowingly of the system s potential. For example if All major cosmetic surgeons used compatible computers they could Exchange images Over the Telephone wires or consult one another s files. Suppose you re in an Accident and reconstructive surgery is required and it s very delicate said Tony Scott executive director of comp tech visual systems a company in Champagne iii., that Sells the equipment. A picture of your face could be transmitted in 30 seconds to a specialist surgeon in new York. The doctors could talk Over the phone and discuss the shipper hit proposed to professional associations of cosmetic surgeons that they compile libraries of video cases that members could consult for a Small fee. Say an unusual Chin comes in and even though the cosmetic surgeon is very skilled he has t encountered this before shipper said. Would t it be the Cost of plastic surgery Wise to consult a Library to see How 15 others did it before Scott said his company had shipped two of the systems since they were unveiled in december. A dozen More Are on order at $14,900 each. Nancy Burson chairman and founder of face systems inc., a new York concern has installed two systems at up to $23,000 each one in the office of or. Elliot w. Jacobs a Manhattan cosmetic surgeon. It s fabulous it really is Jacobs said. It opens a new dimension in communicating with several other companies Are also offering the technology or plan to soon. Coopers Slon surgical systems of Irvine calif., for example will begin Selling its system in april for about $25,000. Cosmetic surgeons would ilk to recoup their investment from patients of course which could mean higher prices. So far the equipment does not seem to save much time and some say it adds to the time spent with patients. But or. Larry d. Schoenrock the co director of the facial plastic clinic at the University of California in san Francisco said the technology could reduce costs by saving cataloguing time and increasing efficiency. Some experts also say the technology will make further strides. Already several companies Are working on three dimensional computer images so the picture on the screen could be rotated in any direction. One California concern has developed equipment with that capability although its Price is out of the Range of most private practices. Comax medical products of Mountain View calif., offers equipment that can generate a three dimensional image from computerized tomography and magnetic resonance scans. The computer can also be hooked up to a special milling machine like a lathe. If for example a person has been in a bad car Accident and has a disfiguring Hole in the Skull the computer can carve an implant for the surgeon to insert that is exactly the same size As the Hole. Comax has sold about a dozen of the units so far at $195,000 each according to Connie Wellman the company s marketing director. More will sell As doctors realize the possibilities of reaching for the computer before the Scalpel she said. On the screen you can actually lop off the top of a Guy s Skull and take a look Down at what the matter is she said. Started with s always been a group of men who shared responsibilities for kids and chores Long Dixe and Alan Alda came along. But it d a few bugs to out. F0exampirwhrour first child was born myams hand i wanted to be a part of it so he said. Well Divide m a King. Takecare of the top of her and you tsar Samv the attorn. I la stick in the to tie and tickle Etc hand you do whatever you have to do at on until the child began to cry in the mid dle to ight throw up. Spit and throw temper Tan a while to Brea k the Monotony. You take the top and i la take the a couple of months later when his end was running through th3 neighbourhood naked and playing in water and kicking holes in bags of sugar at the supermarket he said. You do such a great Job at the top i be decided to give you the Bottom and i la be in charge of what does that mean i asked. It Means when something Breaks Down i la have it fixed. I la bring in food and drink for fuel and in general keep her in running that sounds i said. For starters you can look into glasses braces Booster shots and regular visits for her allergies. Of. And she s beginning to toe in so Check out orthopaedic i Don t suppose there Are any not a i said. On second thought he said maybe i should serve As a social director and be in charge of her social activities. I could read her stories and plan birthday parties take pictures of her eating ice Cream and things like a real you can Start by teaching her How to ride a two wheeled bicycle. And there s a scout cookout this weekend Baton twirling classes i m trying to make this easy for he interrupted. And it s obvious i could Best lighten your Load by serving As a that sounds of i said. Then i won t have to make All those decisions about driving a car staying out until 2, or whether or not she pierces her when the second baby arrived i said to my husband Here comes another equal Opportunity. What role do you want with this one he never hesitated. Executive producer c in aim him Syndicate
