The AR-powered xvision Spine System has been designed to enable surgeons to view patients’ anatomy in order to navigate instruments and implants accurately during spine procedures

Augmedics

Augmedics recently achieved the 3,000th patient milestone with its xvision Spine System. (Credit: Augmedics)

Augmedics, a US-based provider of augmented reality (AR) surgical navigation solutions, has launched new features and indications for its xvision Spine System.

The AR-powered xvision Spine System has been designed to enable surgeons to view patients’ anatomy just like an x-ray vision in order to navigate instruments and implants accurately during spine procedures.

Cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the new features to the spine system include image enhancement functionality powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and new customisable views. These are said to further grow the capabilities of the xvision Spine System in advanced visualisation and customisation.

Additionally, new iliosacral and cervical indications add to the existing thoracic, sacral, and lumbar indications to expand the clearance of xvision to almost the entire spine. This will enable surgeons to gain from the advantages of the spine system’s navigation in posterior cervical and pelvic approaches, where anatomic and visualisation challenges can considerably affect the procedure.

Sierra Spine Institute in Roseville, California orthopedic spine surgeon and founder Tyler Smith said: “The AI-enhanced 3D model and 2D images are transformative in terms of visualisation, and the new lateral x-ray view is an excellent tool for seamless tulip head alignment. This is the happiest I’ve been yet with navigation.”

The update from Augmedics is said to come weeks after it achieved the 3,000th patient milestone and indicates the biggest expansion of xvision since its commercial launch.

Augmedics said that it started rolling out the new updates to its user base across 21 states in the US in early January. The company expects the rollout to be mostly complete by the end of Q1 2023.

Augmedics president and CEO Kevin Hykes said: “Our new cervical and iliosacral indications mean more surgeons – and consequently more patients – are benefiting from the accuracy, precision, and confidence of xvision navigation.

“We are also thrilled to launch our first application of AI, which represents the tip of the iceberg in terms of decision support and planning tools for surgeons. These new capabilities and indications are an exciting step into the future as we continue to revolutionise the field of augmented reality navigation.”