Looking over the surgeon’s shoulder thanks to satellite communication

The E:MC2 Aesthetical Medical Centre

Dr Alexis Verpaele and Dr Patrick Tonnard, both internationally accredited surgeons and worldwide renowned for their achievements in the field of plastic surgery, have founded the E:MC2 Aesthetical Medical Centre in Ghent, Belgium. Both surgeons are also involved in providing treatment for patients in developing countries, as well as educational outreach by organising courses, seminars and conferences in order to share their knowledge with peers.

The challenge

Since 1999, Dr Verpaele and Dr Tonnard have been organising conferences and seminars (“Coupure Seminars”) on facial surgery techniques. The conferences, endorsed by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, feature prestigious international faculties and address an audience of surgeons with in-depth training in aesthetic surgery. The main challenge was to perform live demonstrations of plastic surgery techniques that were accessible to a wide audience of surgeons, as a way to train them and to discuss these interventions in real time. However, conventional telecommunication connections were not reliable enough for real-time, high-definition, 3D broadcasts in remote locations.

The satellite solution

A satellite connection is used to enable the audience to follow surgery in real-time and to be guided step by step through the procedures. The satcom connection ensures a much more reliable signal than a classic internet connection, allowing trainees to make the most of such experiences.

The result

Especially in surgery where image depth is important, the amount of additional information that 3D images offer is impressive. Using the 3D satellite broadcasting services, it became possible to bring a live experience from the private surgical facility of E:MC2 to a remote audience. Dr Alexis Verpaele and Dr Patrick Tonnard are satisfied with the system and are planning to use it consistently in future trainings and conferences.