Surgery in Three Dimensions
When Dr. James O. Finnegan speaks in terms of a "three dimensional assessment of the anatomy," what does that mean?
"Well, it's hard to talk in three dimensions, but when you're inside, deep in the belly or deep in the chest, you just can't look at it and figure, OK, there is the structure, let's cut it, or remove it or tie it or whatever."
"You have to be totally aware of what's behind it, what flows into it or what flows out of it. You need a mental picture of the anatomy surrounding the structure."
"When people are in training they too often focus on the piece (of the anatomy) and I will say, wait a minute, do you know what's behind that? You'd better not cut it until you tell me what is behind that."
"Some of this is intuitive, but I think the key is a training program that emphasized detailed knowledge of the anatomy so you always know where everything is."
