REVIEW Concept of Simulation Surgery

The concept of simulation surgery was first proposed by Fujino in 19891 and reinforced in 1991.2 It is divided in two sections; empirical simulation surgery, where the surgical procedure is designed first in the surgeon's brain, and computer simulation surgery, where the disease condition and the possible surgical procedures can be viewed in three-dimentions (3D) either on a computer monitor, or by means of a solid 3D model, crafted from computer generated data, before proceeding to the actual surgery itself. Each of these sections is subdivided into three subsections; morphological, functional and psychological simulation surgery, respectively. Along those lines, the concept of simulation surgery is discussed, with special reference to plastic and reconstructive surgery. (Keio J Med 42 (3): 104-114, 1993)