Revolutionary HD Surgical Footage from North Shore-LIJ Surgeon to be Broadcast for the First Time on ABC's 20/20, National Geographic Channel

Revolutionary HD Surgical Footage from North Shore-LIJ Surgeon to be Broadcast for the First Time on ABC's 20/20, National Geographic Channel

SYOSSET, N.Y., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time, high definition (HD) video footage of the human body taken by Steven Palter, MD, a surgeon and fertility specialist at Syosset and North Shore University hospitals, will be featured tonight on ABC-TV News' 20/20 and September 16 on the National Geographic Channel in stories that will take viewers for an unprecedented journey inside the human body.

Dr. Palter is internationally recognized for his research, development and use of technologically advanced endoscopic procedures, particularly in the fields of reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics/gynecology.

20/20, scheduled to air at 10 p.m. EDT tonight (Friday, September 7), will feature a segment entitled "Unprecedented Journey Inside the Human Body." The story will cover some of the history behind the pioneering tools and procedures used by Dr. Palter, bringing to life some of the technology predicted in the 1966 science-fiction film "Fantastic Voyage," a movie that Dr. Palter often references in his lectures on the topic.

National Geographic is also premiering some of Dr. Palter's breakthrough procedures in the premiere of the show "Inside the Living Body," scheduled to air at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 16. The program will trace the entirety of a woman's life, reviewing in depth the female bodily systems and how they work. This show will be the first time a surgical procedure has been broadcast in high definition. The show includes input from over 200 scientists, doctors and specialists on the topic.

"With high definition, we're seeing things that we had never seen before, with depth perception, clarity and detail that make the images enormously clear and magnified. We have views beyond what you can get with the naked eye," said Dr. Palter. "Recent technological advances have allowed for such dramatic and amazing views of the inside of our bodies that watching the footage can feel like you're in a science fiction film or on an imaginary expedition," said Bob Brown, an ABC News correspondent who interviewed Dr. Palter for 20/20.

Renowned for his expertise in infertility treatment and endoscopy, Dr. Palter performed the world's first high-definition laparoscopy, using an endoscope prototype supplied to him for his research. "Switching to HD allows us to see conditions and diseases with greater clarity -- we can see smaller structures and greater detail -- like we are seeing it with the naked eye," he said.

He foresees a revolutionary future for these technologies. "The procedures will be even less invasive and include emergent technology," he said. "The next generation systems and tools will surpass what surgeons are able to see and do with their own body." Dr. Palter has a medical technology blog (http://www.docinthemachine.com/), where he shares his vision for the impact of future technology on medicine. Earlier this year, Dr. Palter was honored for his work on the development of autofluorescent endoscopy, winning a first place prize paper at the annual meetings of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS).

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Source: North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System

CONTACT: Terry Lynam or Kristen Longo, both of North Shore-Long Island
Jewish Health System, +1-516-465-2600

Web site: http://www.northshorelij.com/
http://www.docinthemachine.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment