Authors
Alexandra Scheibert, Marco Horn, Tobias Keck, Michael Thomaschewski
Published in
Zentralblatt fur Chirurgie. Jul 13, 2026. Epub Jul 13, 2026.
Abstract
The digital twin describes the virtual, dynamic representation of a real system that is updated through continuous data exchange with its physical counterpart. Although originally established in industrial applications, the concept is also becoming increasingly important in surgery.
Digital twins integrate multimodal patient data - including imaging data, physiological measurements, and intraoperative sensor data - into patient-specific models. These can be used in preoperative planning, intraoperative decision support, and postoperative follow-up.
Initial applications, particularly in oncological and vascular surgery, show great potential for improving surgical precision and reducing complications. In addition, digital twins open up new possibilities in surgical training and telesurgery.
Despite promising approaches, digital twins in surgery are still largely in the early stages of development. Challenges exist in particular in data quality, model validation, and ethical and legal issues. Overall, digital twins have the potential to change surgical processes in the long term.
PMID:
42442699
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.
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