It looks like something a gamer would wear, but an augmented reality headset is a game changer for spine surgeon Dr. Frank Phillips.
“It's a very safe, effective and efficient way that's sort of a sweet spot in spine surgery right now,” said Phillips, Director of Spine Surgery at Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH.
Created by Arlington Heights-based Augmedics, the headset is part of the “xvision Spine System,” which the company says allows surgeons to see a patient’s anatomy as if they have “x-ray vision” in the operating room.
“The ability to see the spine in three dimension through the skin with sort of precision anatomy just sort of blew me away,” Phillips said.
Using the headset, the 3D visualization is superimposed over the patient during surgery.
“The real-time anatomy makes the placement of the screws more accurate. It's also incredibly-efficient, because it's a headset and offers a heads-up view of the spine. You never have to look away from the surgical field at the monitors,” Phillips said.
Kathy Sefton from Arlington Heights is one of Dr. Phillips’ patients.
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“Before my surgery, I could not take my garbage to the end of the driveway without my pain going to a nine or a 10,” she said.
Dr. Phillips recommended a spinal fusion for Sefton and described how he would use the “x-vision Spine System” during her surgery. Then it was Sefton’s turn to be impressed.
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“It's like a video game,” she said.
Ten months after surgery, Sefton is now able to hold her grandson, Logan, and is planning a family trip to Disney World, things she she says she never could have done before surgery.
“If he can do that, and make things go quicker, make the surgery shorter, make the recovery shorter. It's a win-win,” Sefton said.
“It makes me a better surgeon and I think it translates into better patient outcomes,” Phillips said.
After using the headset for hundreds of surgeries, Dr. Phillips believes spines could be just the beginning.
“Ultimately, we'll be able to look at not just bone anatomy, but soft tissue anatomy through the augmented reality headset. See where nerves are in real time,” Phillips said.
Approved by the FDA in 2019, studies are being done to expand its use in the future.
