3D Surgical Imaging at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis

Via Christi using new high-tech imaging system for treating spinal disorders

Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis has purchased and installed a new high-tech imaging system for surgeons to use when performing spinal procedures: Medtronic’s O-arm® Multidimensional Imaging System.

As a result, patients having their procedures done at the Wichita hospital may experience faster, safer and more accurate placement of spinal implants, reducing the risk for implant-related complications and a return to the OR for repositioning.

“It makes me feel more confident in what I do,” said Michael Chang, MD, PhD, FAAOS, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Via Christi Clinic and the first to use the system at Via Christi. “Plus, it ultimately may lead to faster recoveries and improved outcomes for patients.”

Medtronic’s O-arm Multidimensional Imaging System installed at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis is a new, high-tech imaging system for surgeons.

Designed specifically for use in the operating room, the O-arm Imaging System provides complete multidimensional, intraoperative surgical imaging, providing surgeons with real-time, three-dimensional images, as well as multiplane two-dimensional and fluoroscopic imaging.

Using these images, spine surgeons like Chang can view the patient’s anatomy in the operative position, monitor the status of the surgery, and verify the surgical changes with a 3-D image — all while the patient is still in the surgical suite.

Some of the advantages of the O-arm over previous technology include:

• Computer navigation, which helps guide implant placement by providing
  real-time, live imaging.
• CT scanning capability, which helps verify optimal placement.

In addition, the O-arm greatly reduces the amount of radiation exposure for surgeons and operating room staff, who can step out of the room while the images are being captured. Without computer navigation, the imagery must be shot while the procedure is being done.

The O-arm Imaging System, which received FDA clearance in 2006, initially was designed for orthopedic procedures but has the design flexibility needed for potential expansion for other surgical applications in the future.