Medtronic, Surgical Theater Partner for AR Platform in Cranial Procedures

Medtronic and Surgical Theater began a partnership to interface Surgical Theater’s SyncAR technology with Medtronic’s StealthStation S8 surgical navigation system. This collaboration will enable neurosurgeons to use AR technology in real-time to boost visualization during complex cranial procedures. Using fighter-jet simulation technology, the SyncAR platform allows surgeons to visualize structures in the brain, test virtual surgical tools, and plan surgeries before entering the OR. By integrating this technology with the StealthStation S8 cranial solution, surgeons can expand the benefits of AR and see a 360° AR rendering overlaid onto the live surgical site.
 
“SyncAR offers important benefits in planning and practicing how to approach complex cases, and now being able to actually use AR during procedures to see where instruments are in relation to critical structures while never losing focus on the patient is a significant advance,” Thomas Steineke, M.D., chairman, JFK Neurosciences Institute, Edison, N.J. told the press. “In neurosurgery, it’s paramount to correctly identify and navigate critical brain structures. AR-enhanced visualization interfacing with the StealthStation will help me achieve the best possible outcomes for my patients.”
 
Treatment of brain tumors, aneurysms, and neurological conditions are among the riskiest and most complex surgical procedures. Real-time access to detailed patient-specific information, such as the space between vascular structures, arteries, and white matter location, is integral.
 
The combination of StealthStation S8 and SyncAR technology gives surgeons the ability to see otherwise hidden anatomical and vascular structures, pathologies, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) white matter tracts synchronized and aligned to the surgeon’s operative view. A 360° AR rendering created from the patient’s scans is overlaid onto the live image viewed through the microscope’s oculars as they track surgical tool positioning, letting surgeons keep their eyes on the patient.
 
“Medtronic’s partnership with Surgical Theater expands the utility of cutting-edge AR planning technology, so that surgeons can use it in real-time to improve visualization during brain surgeries, which has the potential to make procedures more precise and efficient,” said Linnea Burman, vice president and general manager, Enabling Technologies within the Cranial & Spinal Technologies business, which is part of the Neuroscience Portfolio at Medtronic. “We are thrilled to partner with Surgical Theater as we strive to transform cranial procedures and improve outcomes by providing surgeons with access to innovative technologies.”
 
The StealthStation S8 navigation system combines hardware and clinical software with tracking and image dataset merging algorithms, to precisely track surgical instruments and help guide the user during surgical procedures. Surgical Theater’s SyncAR 360° Visualization Hub offers surgeons live and synchronized augmentation including vascular structures, pathology, and white matter tracts aligned to their surgical field of view.
 
Surgical Theater is the first to combine cutting-edge fighter jet flight simulation technology with a patient’s own anatomy scans. Rendered from comprehensive combined modalities of CT, MRI, as well as advanced post processing images, the 360° virtual reality fly-through is designed to allow surgeons to walk and fly-through a reconstruction of the patient’s own anatomy and pathology.
 
“We believe by combining Medtronic’s market-leading surgical navigation, and Surgical Theater’s trailblazing visualization capabilities, SyncAR technology now offers the most comprehensive solution for neurosurgical planning, workflow and operative execution,” said Moty Avisar, CEO and co-founder of Surgical Theater. “SyncAR technology does not stop at planning and navigation; we open the skull, provide surgeons with x-ray vision of the anatomy and play an integral role throughout the operative workflow.”