The solution is designed to deliver live intra-operative visual feedback to precisely place pedicle screws during the procedures

clarify eye

ClarifEye Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation will help advance minimally-invasive spine procedures in the hybrid operating room. (Credit: Koninklijke Philips N.V.)

Health technology company Royal Philips has introduced a new image-guided therapy solution, called ClarifEye Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation, for spine procedures.

The new solution has been designed to advance minimally-invasive spine procedures in the hybrid operating room such as Philips’ Hybrid Suite.

Philips’ new solution combines 2D and 3D visualisations at low X-ray dose with 3D augmented reality (AR) to deliver live intra-operative visual feedback to help precisely place pedicle screws during spinal fusion procedures.

ClarifEye system is fully incorporated into the Philips Azurion image-guided therapy platform, thereby helping to improve workflow with intra-procedural navigation and verification for precise screw placement and avoiding the requirement for post-operative CT scans.

The system uses four high-resolution optical cameras to boost the surgical field with 3D cone-beam CT imaging, helping to avoid an additional X-ray.

ClarifEye constructs 3D augmented-reality view of patient’s anatomy

ClarifEye integrates the view of the surgical field with the internal 3D view of the patient to construct a 3D augmented-reality view of the patient’s external and internal anatomy.

The video tracking of non-invasive markers placed on the skin are expected to ensure the consistent tracking of the patient. Later, the system visualises the tip of the ClarifEye needle as it is navigated along the planned path in the spine.

Philips image-guided therapy systems general manager Ronald Tabaksblat said: “Through co-creation with our clinical partners we’ve developed an innovative integrated solution that has the potential to improve outcomes and reduce costs for minimally invasive spine procedures.

“With ClarifEye we are delivering on our strategy of expanding minimally invasive surgery into new clinical areas. The solution is built on the Philips next-generation Azurion image-guided therapy platform, enabling an unmatched level of integration and an intuitive experience for clinicians.”

In January, Philips launched a new software application called Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Model to offer physicians an advanced solution to manage AAA patients.