Why 6 spine surgeons are excited about augmented reality
By Admin | April 09, 2022
Interest in augmented reality has spiked over the past decade, stemming from a desire to limit complications associated with instrumented spine surgery and improve procedural efficiency.
AR spine surgery has made a lot of noise in the medtech industry since Augmedics launched its Xvision system in 2019, and many surgeons are excited about how the technology will integrate with other enabling technologies.
Six spine surgeons share their experiences with AR and predict how the technology will grow in the specialty:
Note: Responses were lightly edited for style and clarity.
Frank Phillips, MD. Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): I have used AR for the past two years, and it has been a breath of fresh air. This eliminates the cumbersome and time-consuming set up of robots at a fraction of the price. In addition, the use of AR in percutaneous spinal procedures provides surgeons with a 3D view of the spinal anatomy and allows visual and tactile feedback, which are sacrificed by current robots. I'm looking forward to seeing AR technologies combined with robotics to optimize outcomes.
Vik Mehta, MD. Hoag Hospital (Newport Beach, Calif.): I believe 2022 is the year AR comes into its own for spinal surgery. At Hoag, for example, my colleagues recently published a peer-reviewed study in Neurosurgical Focus, assessing the accuracy of screw placement using SpineAR, a navigation-guided spine surgery platform that incorporates real-time navigation images from intraoperative imaging with a 3D-reconstructed model in the surgeon's field of view. The results were excitingly positive, and I believe...(More)
For more info please read, Why 6 spine surgeons are excited about augmented reality, by Becker's Spine Review
