Royal Philips announced today that it has developed the first augmented reality surgical navigation technology for image-guided open and minimally-invasive spine surgery.

The technology combines 3-D X-ray and optical imaging to generate a 3-D augmented reality view of the patient's anatomy. High-resolution optical cameras are mounted on the flat panel X-ray detector to image the surface of the patient and the X-ray system captures the internal 3-D view of the patient.

"There is a trend from open to minimally-invasive surgery and the currently available technology in this area has a lot of disadvantages," Ronald Tabaksblat, business leader, image-guided therapy systems at Philips, told HCB News. "The new technology is an easy-to-use technology with superior image quality, compared to currently available minimally-invasive solutions for spine surgery."
The technology is designed to be used in the hybrid operating room. In addition to spine surgery, the technology can also be used for cranial and trauma procedures.

"Minimally-invasive spine surgery has a high need for accuracy, to avoid collateral damage," said Tabaksblat. "With this technology we aim to improve procedure planning, surgical tool navigation and implant accuracy, as well as reducing procedure times."

Philips, Karolinska University Hospital Medical Center and Children's Hospital Medical Center partnered to conduct a pre-clinical study to test the technology. They found that it was significantly better in terms of overall accuracy compared to traditional pedicle screw placement.

The results of the study, "Surgical Navigation Technology Based on Augmented Reality and Integrated 3-D Intraoperative Imaging: A Spine Cadaveric Feasibility and Accuracy Study", were published the the journal SPINE in November.

As part of a clinical research program, Philips will install hybrid ORs with this technology in a network of ten clinical collaborators.

"This new technology allows us to intraoperatively make a high-resolution 3D image of the patient's spine, plan the optimal device path, and subsequently place pedicle screws using the system's fully-automatic augmented-reality navigation," Dr. Skúlason of the Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, said in a statement.

It also allows him to check the overall result of the procedure in 3-D without having to move the patient to a CT scanner. All of it can be done without any radiation exposure to the surgeon and minimal dose to the patient.

The technology was recently present at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in Boston.

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