Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, recently announced the expanded rollout of ClarifEye, its augmented reality (AR) surgical navigation solution, to Japan. The company is emphasizing positive results in the first patients treated by the International University of Health and Welfare, Mita Hospital (Tokyo, Japan), using this groundbreaking 3D AR solution.
ClarifEye, which was installed on a Philips interventional X-ray system in a hybrid operating room at Mita Hospital, assisted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ken Ishii, in successfully treating patients with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spaces in the spine) and scoliosis (sideways curvature of the spine) using minimally invasive image-guided procedures.
The number of spine surgeries performed in Japan yearly is increasing due to the country’s aging population. The most common spinal disease, lumbar spinal canal stenosis, is currently found in approximately 10.8% of the country’s 70-79-year-olds. Surgical procedures such as excision of the compressed area and fixation of the bone with screws or other fixtures are usually performed in patients with severe symptoms.
These fixation devices have traditionally been placed through a large incision with direct observation of the affected vertebra. However, they are increasingly being placed through small incisions, minimizing bleeding and soft tissue damage, limiting postoperative pain, and making treatment available to patients at risk from open surgery trauma.
ClarifEye, Philips’ augmented reality surgical navigation solution, integrates 2D and 3D visualizations at a low X-ray dose with 3D AR navigation incorporated into a single system. It allows surgeons to interpret and navigate critical trajectories for precise device placement while avoiding damage to the patient’s spine’s fragile neurological and vascular structures.
Its live-video computer vision and AR technology track patient positioning using non-invasive position markers applied to the patient’s skin and overlay the resulting live video onto a 3D cone-beam CT of the patient’s spinal column.
Without the need for live X-ray imaging, it allows surgeons to see the outside and inside of the patient in the same image, as well as the planned and real-time trajectory of a Philips ClarifEye needle. The method removes the cumbersome reference frames used by other systems, allowing surgeons unrestricted access to the patient.
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