The problem – back pain and ‘freehand’ back surgery
Back pain is a highly prevalent condition that can have a tremendous social, financial, and psychological impact on a patient’s life. Low back pain is a worldwide problem, with an estimated 9.4% global incidence, creating more disability than any other condition in the world. The prevalence of low back pain increases with age, so it is understandable that there is an increasing rate of surgeries to treat back pain in accordance with an aging population demographic.
Degenerative disc disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed condition and are the leading causes of back and neck pain. According to the American Chiropractic Association, approximately 31 million people in the U.S. suffer from low back pain at any given time. It is estimated that over 90% of the 5 million spine surgeries are performed manually worldwide (also known as ”freehand”). When using the freehand technique, approximately 30% of the pedicle screws are misplaced, resulting in inferior clinical outcomes.
PathKeeper's Solution
PathKeeper's “Optical Real-Time Anatomical Tracking- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery” (Optic-MISS) is planned to implement a Spine Navigation System using machine vision 3D cameras and AI-based algorithms to automatically match patients’ preoperative spine CT or MRI scans to images taken in the OR, a process called registration. Once the patient is registered, the surgeon can see the exact location of their surgical tools relative to the anatomy. Using the computer, the surgeon can see exactly where the target anatomy is, like using GPS to navigate while driving a car. Image-guided surgery allows surgeons to avoid damaging critical anatomy like the spinal cord and major blood vessels. Image guidance from machine vision results in safer surgery for patients. Navigation accuracy is crucial in spine surgeries, where a few millimeters can be the difference between a good outcome and major surgical complications.
PathKeeper developed the first Machine-Vision Image Guided Surgery system that allows spine surgeons to perform fast, cost-effective, radiation-free spinal navigation. Our Spine Navigation System provides real-time 3D images using machine-vision, camera-based technology. The system performs real-time tracking of the anatomy of the spine and the surgery tools, thus giving the surgeon accurate and timely feedback on the position S/he are in. The use of machine-vision image-guided surgery systems in the operating room (“OR”) instead of X-ray-based guidance is the only way to eliminate all radiation associated with navigation in the OR while facilitating a fast, efficient, and extremely accurate surgical experience.
