Image-Guided Robotics and Augmented Reality Increase Spine Surgery Precision at Hackensack University Medical Center
Recently acquired ExcelsiusGPS and Xvision Spine System give spine surgeons enhanced anatomical views
Orthopedic surgeons at Hackensack University Medical Center are getting an enhanced operative view thanks to new robotic image guidance and virtual reality technology in the surgical suite, Dante Implicito, M.D., the center’s chief of Spine Surgery and chair of Orthopedics, said.
“The more complex the surgery, the more useful the robotic surgery image targeting is,” Dr. Implicito said.
The team recently acquired a Globus Medical ExcelsiusGPS robot for spine surgery. It allows the surgeon to view pre- or intra-operative imaging to virtually plot a procedure, such as implantation of a screw in a vertebrae, based on a patient’s actual anatomy. The screw brand and model specifications along with the patient imaging inform the robotic arm’s path, like a GPS. With this optical guidance, the robot performs with a 1-mm level of accuracy.
The spine surgery team also recently integrated the Xvision Spine System augmented reality tool from Augmedics, a headset that gives the surgeon “X-ray vision,” letting them better see screw placement in real time by overlaying pre-surgery imaging directly onto the patient during the procedure.
These new imaging technologies offer patient advantages including smaller incisions, less invasive approaches, shorter operating times and faster recovery.
As early adopters of robotic surgery, who trained and became well versed in applications with the first-generation Mazor spine surgery robot, the Hackensack University Medical Center spine surgery team built the case volume and experience to approach these technology leaps as a natural evolution, Dr. Implicito said. The Orthopedics residency program, in its second year, will train new surgeons in these powerful imaging and robotic surgery technologies.
Dr. Implicito credits the extremely collegial relationship between orthopedic spine surgery and neurological spine surgery at Hackensack Meridian Health. Both teams are taking advantage of integrated imaging innovations in robotic surgery, and have an open door to observe procedures and glean from each team’s experience.
“We’re very collaborative and that filters to patient care,” he said.
The center also participates in a nationwide spine registry, contributing valuable data on robotic and traditional spine procedures to serve collaborative, multicenter research purposes.
Learn more about innovative orthopedic care at Hackensack University Medical Center.
