Introduction. The development augmented reality devices allow physicians to incorporate data visualization into diagnostic and treatment procedures to improve work efficiency, safety, and cost and to enhance surgical training. However, the awareness of possibilities of augmented reality is generally low. This review evaluates whether augmented reality can presently improve the results of surgical procedures. Methods. We performed a review of available literature dating from 2010 to November 2016 by searching PubMed and Scopus using the terms “augmented reality” and “surgery.” Results. The initial search yielded 808 studies. After removing duplicates and including only journal articles, a total of 417 studies were identified. By reading of abstracts, 91 relevant studies were chosen to be included. 11 references were gathered by cross-referencing. A total of 102 studies were included in this review. Conclusions. The present literature suggest an increasing interest of surgeons regarding employing augmented reality into surgery leading to improved safety and efficacy of surgical procedures. Many studies showed that the performance of newly devised augmented reality systems is comparable to traditional techniques. However, several problems need to be addressed before augmented reality is implemented into the routine practice.

AIM: To offer an up-to-date review of all available treatment strategies for patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastases (CLM). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify articles related to the management of patients with synchronous CLM. A search of the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar was conducted in September 2014. The following search terms were used: synchronous colorectal liver metastases, surgery, stage IV colorectal cancer, liver-first approach, and up-front hepatectomy. These terms were employed in various combinations to maximize the search. Only articles written in English were included. Particular attention was devoted to studies and review articles that were published within the last six years (2009-2014). Additional searches of the cited references from primary articles were performed to further improve the review. The full texts of all relevant articles were accessed by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Poor long-term outcomes of patients with synchronous CLM managed by a traditional treatment strategy have led to questions about the timing and sequence of possible therapeutic interventions. Thus, alternative paradigms called reverse strategies have been proposed. Presently, there are four treatment strategies available: (1) primary first approach (or traditional approach) comprises resection of the primary colorectal tumor followed by chemotherapy; subsequent liver resection is performed 3-6 mo after colorectal resection (provided that CLM are still resectable); (2) simultaneous resection of the primary colorectal tumor and CLM during a single operation presents intriguing options for a highly select group of patients, which can be associated with significant postoperative morbidity; (3) liver-first (or chemotherapy-first) approach comprises preoperative chemotherapy (3-6 cycles) followed by liver resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and resection of the primary colorectal tumor (it is best suited for patients with asymptomatic primary tumors and initially unresectable or marginally resectable CLM); and (4) up-front hepatectomy (or “true” liver-first approach) includes liver resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, colorectal resection, and adjuvant chemotherapy (strategy can be offered to patients with asymptomatic primary tumors and initially resectable CLM). CONCLUSION: None of the aforementioned strategies appears inferior. It is necessary to establish individual treatment plans in multidisciplinary team meetings through careful appraisal of all strategies.