With mixed-reality headsets, orthopedic surgeons can improve procedural precision, streamline workflow, and democratize care.
In total knee arthroplasty, once an orthopedic surgeon has performed resections to the patient’s bone, turning back is not a viable option.
While resections can be modified by resecting additional bone, they cannot be undone. That sense of finality is always with me in the OR, and it has often made me wish I could peer at the patient’s individual anatomy prior to picking up the saw to confirm the accuracy of my planned resections.
Now, with the help of mixed-reality (MR) technology, I can experience that level of vision and precision. Worn by surgeons during procedures, MR headsets work by projecting personalized anatomical data onto a patient’s body, mixing virtual information with the real-world environment to provide a data-driven 3D view of the surgical site.1
For the first time in surgical settings, MR is being utilized differently from augmented reality (AR) devices. While AR devices typically overlay a preoperative image onto the anatomy as a reference, the new generation of MR devices are digital measurement tools that scan the landscape, analyze the information, and provide real-time precision accuracy. The result is clinically meaningful data about real-world anatomy.
A new approach in orthopedics involves the STELLAR Knee by Polaris,AR a customizable digital-assistant technology that employs optical tracking algorithms and spatial computing software to improve functional outcomes by allowing the surgeon to intra-operatively map individualized patient data and create a precise surgical plan. MR technology projects the data holographically from the doctor’s portable headset onto the patient’s anatomy, readjusting as the surgeon moves to preserve accuracy. The surgeon can then interact with the data to refine the surgical plan and ultimately use the MR technology to perform accurate resections.
These visual data overlays offer the kind of precision that previously was only associated with large, complex robotic systems. Yet, compared with surgical robots, MR headsets are much smaller and more affordable, lending themselves to efficient ergonomics and workflows. And, in the case of STELLAR Knee, the technology is widely applicable across orthopedics because it can be used with any total knee implant system.
By H. John Cooper, MD | Orthopedic Design & Technology
Image Credit: Microsoft
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