NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, MARCH 4
Indospine Hospital on Friday successfully performed the first-ever live spinal surgery by deploying newly implemented surgical imaging system O-ARM O2 and accompanying navigations system. This is the only hospital having this latest machine in Gujarat, claimed the team of doctors.
The medical team, led by Indospine Hospital director Dr Tarak Patel, performed spinal surgery on a patient using the O-ARM O2 and navigations system. The surgeons confirmed the affected area through the 3D imaging information and then used the navigation to execute a posterior fixation surgery accurately.
The entire spinal surgery was live telecast for the media who were sitting at a far away place in Ahmedabad.
Spinal cord operations take up very little space as they work very closely to the nervous system. Spinal surgery is more complex as it involves a lot of bones, blood vessels and nerves. Also in some complex cases the diagnosis is usually based on CT scan prior to the operation, this technique reduces the risk of faster operation, less blood loss and less tissue damage. There has been a significant increase in radiation exposure, especially for obese patients, when performing such operations with 2D imaging.
Dr Tarak Patel, a reputed spine surgeon from Gujarat who has over years of experience in 2,000 spinal surgery, said, “This is where intra-op 3D imaging helps in navigation technology.”
“With this latest-generation imaging device, the surgeon can view the patient’s anatomy in 3D, with a true 360-degree view and 6-degrees of freedom. The surgeon can achieve optimum accuracy when combined with an advanced navigation system. Now the surgeon can track his instruments in the patient’s anatomy with 3-D visualization in real time! In addition, intra-op neuromonitoring can be used to detect whether the screw is too close to the nerve and within the surgery makes necessary improvements. Finally, the surgeon may take another intra-op 3D image, which can confirm all position of the implant and make any corrections if necessary. This combined technology solves the major challenges of spinal surgery, leading to higher screw accuracy, better refinement, shorter operation duration, less exposure to radiation for patients, surgeons and OT staff. Enabling technology of intra-op 3D imaging, advanced navigation systems and intra-op neuromonitoring is a great support for skilled surgeons and OT staff to improve patient outcomes in spinal surgery. Only 2000 hospitals across the world are using these techniques to improve the outcomes of spinal surgery, but very few hospitals in India are offering it,’ Dr Tarak explained.
Dr. Tarak added, “At Indospine we believe that technology can improve the outcomes of spine surgery and hence we are the first hospital in Ahmedabad to treat a patient with the help of this digital operation theater and latest technology and we hope that the rest of India will also follow suit in Gujarat and more hospitals. Rates of spinal surgery are expected to increase with a growing senior population, fur lifestyles, stressful lives, spinal trauma and possibly genetic conditions. If surgeons and hospitals want to improve outcomes for patients undergoing spinal surgery If so, enabling technology could be a game changer!”
To a query, the doctors said this surgery is covered under mediclaim policy but they declined to share the cost of surgery stating that it would vary for every patient.
