Kettering Medical Center is only area facility with this imaging technology

Courtesy of Kettering Health Network

For Health Care Today

Placing a screw during spinal surgery is vital for a successful result. With the ability to image patients on the surgical table in the operating room, neurosurgeons performing intricate spine surgery at KMC are seeing things more clearly.

The latest imaging tool for use during an operation is the O-Arm, and it bodes well for patient outcomes in the Dayton area. It was developed by Breakaway Imaging, LLC, which was recently acquired by Medtronic. Kettering Medical Center is the only area hospital to have the O-Arm, and neurosurgeon Theodore Bernstein, MD, is thankful.

"Exceptional imaging is so critical to the success of a spinal surgery," Bernstein said. "With the O-Arm, I get unparalleled three-dimensional views of spinal anatomy and implant hardware like I've never seen before. Because of the imaging capabilities, additional accuracy of screw placement is possible with less potential for malposition. Adjustments can be made at the time of surgery."

"I'm able to place implants in smaller areas of the cervical and thoracic spine and perform surgeries that I could not do before because of poor visualization," Bernstein added. "Incorrect placement of spinal implant hardware can lead to hindered movement, unnecessary stress on adjoining discs and oftentimes second surgeries to reposition the hardware. Along with neurosurgical applications, the O-Arm is useful in orthopedics for joint replacement and other procedures."

A single technologist can position the portable O-Arm unit over the patient in the "C" formation. Robotics within the system allow for easier positioning than with previous imaging devices for the operating room. Once positioned around the patient and operating table, the "C" is closed, and it takes on the "O" shape used for acquiring images in one of three different modes. The variety of modes enables use of the O-Arm in a wide variety of procedures.

In its 2D fluoroscopy mode, the O-Arm provides larger, higher resolution imaging than conventional C-arm fluoroscopic units. In its "parked" mode of operation, the O-Arm provides views from a stationary position that does not get in the way of the surgical field, so anatomical images can be obtained throughout the surgery procedure. Finally, the O-Arm in its 3D mode takes up to 400 images, reconstructs them and projects them in full 3D on a 30-inch high resolution LCD screen.

"This has been a big hit with our surgeons since we introduced it three months ago," said Jean Ruppert, director of the Wallace-Kettering Neuroscience Institute. "People are just starting to appreciate how much imaging in the OR can improve surgical outcomes, and with the increased sophistication of surgical implant devices the use of imaging technology like the O-Arm is only going to increase."

.