Michael Wang, MD, professor of neurological surgery and chief of neurosurgery at UHealth Tower in Miami, is reportedly the first spine surgeon in Florida to perform a procedure using augmented reality, South Florida Hospital News reports.
Dr. Wang used the Augmedics' Xvision Spine System to perform a complex scoliosis procedure on a 72-year-old patient on Oct. 16.
"It was the perfect kind of case to use the AR technology because it requires extra precision and finesse for screw placement," Dr. Wang told the news outlet. "The X-ray vision allows us to see inside the anatomy and makes the surgical area three-dimensional — all of which helps with accuracy during surgery."
The AR system, approved for both open and minimally invasive spine surgery, features a headset designed to function as if the surgeon has X-ray vision into the patient's anatomy.
Surgeons use the device to accurately navigate instruments and implants while looking at the patient instead of a screen.