The first patients have been successfully treated using Philips’ 3D Augmented Reality (AR) spine navigation solution at the Armed Forces Hospital in Oman, following the installation of the company’s Azurion Hybrid OR with ClarifEye, an industry-first solution that combines 2D and 3D visualisations at low X-ray dose with 3D AR navigation into one system. Philips says this is the first such installation in the GCC and outside Europe.
One of the first procedures using this system in Oman was successfully performed to treat a 51-year-old male patient with multi-level degenerative lumbar stenosis.
“Philips’ new technology enables us to perform less invasive procedures and produce better outcomes for patients with spine conditions,” said Dr. Ahmed Al Jahwari, Head of Department Orthopedics and Spine Surgery at Hospital MoD, Oman. “Thanks to the high quality of the intraoperative cone beam CT imaging and the positioning flexibility of the ClarifEye system, we can ensure that implants are in place which lowers post-operative CT scans to check implant placements.”
Increased clinical accuracy and improved outcomes
Treatment for spine conditions can often be complex and delicate. Surgeons need to take particular care to avoid fragile neurological and vascular structures close to the spine. Spinal surgery has traditionally been an ‘open surgery’ procedure, where surgeons would manually touch the patient’s spine to position implants such as pedicle screws. As technology has advanced, there has been a shift to using minimally invasive techniques, such as small incisions in the patient’s skin to minimize blood loss and soft tissue damage and consequently reduce postoperative pain. In both approaches, surgeons can now use the real-time imaging and 3D navigation of ClarifEye rather than only relying on having a line of sight to the patient’s spine.
In addition, intra-operative image guidance increases clinical accuracy and improves outcomes, with patients subject to fewer revision surgeries compared to the previous standard of care. Data published in Science Reports demonstrated that the ClarifEye technology performed better in accuracy than open surgery pedicle screw placement without 3D navigation (94% vs 89,6%).
Growing international adoptionClarifEye Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation was introduced to the market in 2021. The site in Oman complements the growing international ecosystem of innovation partners that have adopted this new solution such as the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, the Regional Hospital of Lugano, Switzerland and the Strasbourg University Hospital in France.
“We’re excited that international access to ClarifEye is expanding, and more hospitals and patients will get to experience its benefits firsthand,” said Karim Boussebaa, Business Leader Image Guided Therapy Systems at Philips. “As the latest addition to Spine suite, ClarifEye adds a new dimension in surgical precision for patients. Through innovation we want to innovate procedures and help clinicians to deliver on the quadruple aim of better health outcomes, improve patient experience and staff satisfaction, and lower cost of care – and ClarifEye is a great example.”
