Plato's Cave pushes advanced visualization out of the dark

Plato's Cave, short for computer augmented virtual environment, is a 5D imaging masterpiece engineered by researchers at the Methodist Hospital in Houston that combines PET, MR and CT imaging on multiple screens, including a touch-screen table top, and the ability to use voice commands and game controllers to manipulate and fly-through medical images for better treatment planning. 

This video report from Washington Post explores the technology in and out of the operating room. Physicians use Plato's Cave to improve tumor localization, to reduce complications and hospital stays, and to discern when surgery is unnecessary in the big picture. Plato's Cave allows its users to stage disease prior to treatment, to monitor treatment in an intraoperative setting, and to follow up after surgery.