Maryville, Tenn.,-based Blount Memorial Hospital recently announced it purchased a new piece of imaging equipment that'll mean better results for spinal pain sufferers, reports the Daily Times.
The new equipment, to be used by neurosurgeon Bradley Hall, MD, cost the hospital $2.5 million, and is called an O-arm.
Basically, the O-arm is a 6-foot-wide donut that's coupled with a special carbon-fiber table. The donut is equipped with holes through the inner ring for cameras and the specially-made table — where patients lay — stretches through the middle of the donut.
The equipment allows surgeons to more precisely perform the most intricate operations, in a minimally invasive fashion.
Dr. Hall said using the O-arm technology is like have a GPS navigation system for spinal surgery.
"It allows us to have much more accurate placement of the hardware," he said.
Though it is primarily used for spine issues, the O-arm is also sometimes employed for certain brain surgeries, officials with hospital said.
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