Stryker Navigation says it has the first patient tracker for minimally invasive spine surgery that doesn’t require an additional incision for navigation tracking.
Stryker Introduces Non-Invasive Spine Navigation Tracking
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On September 28, 2015, the company announced the introduction of SpineMask Tracker, an adhesive surgical tracker which is placed on the patient’s back and enables automatic registration with a wide-variety of imaging devices used in the operating room.
According to the company, this proprietary tracking technology allows for Automatic Intraoperative Mask Registration, which utilizes a software algorithm to match the patient’s anatomy to the intra-operative image set in seconds. The tracker uses Stryker’s active tracking technology to sense tracker movement during surgery and automatically compensates for any deformation to help maintain accuracy throughout the procedure.
No Incision
But the big deal is that surgeons are no longer required to make an additional incision to affix a clamp to the patient’s boney anatomy for registration and navigation tracking. Up to now, the company says surgeons had to choose between non-navigated surgery with small or fewer incisions, or navigated surgery which required a larger or extra incision to accommodate the spine clamp. The SpineMask tracker technology allows surgeons the benefit of navigation without having to create a dedicated incision for navigation tracking.
Derek Babin, director of marketing for Stryker Navigation, said, “Though we just fully launched SpineMask tracker early this year, we already have multiple facilities taking advantage of its accuracy and easy-to-use capabilities.”
The tracker is used in conjunction with the SpineMap 3D 3.0 software and Stryker’s NAV3i navigation platform and leverages Stryker’s proprietary navigation camera. The navigation platform also has a flexible camera arm with a large range of motion, which the company says makes it easy to accommodate different procedures and approaches. A 32″ HD monitor delivers sharp visualization for the surgeon while the platform’s design makes it easy to position the monitor and camera for optimal space usage in the OR.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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