NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL ENHANCES SERVICES WITH GEORGIA’S
FIRST REAL TIME, 3-D IMAGING SYSTEM FOR SURGERY
Northside Hospital is the first hospital in Georgia to acquire a new surgical imaging system that allows physicians’ real time, 3-D navigation inside the operating room (OR) for spine surgery.
A leader in providing state-of-the-art surgical services, more surgeries are performed at Northside Hospital than at any other hospital in Georgia. Northside is home to many of Atlanta’s finest surgeons and is equipped with innovative technology including integrated OR suites with robotic and image-guided systems for many clinical specialties.
The O-arm® Imaging System helps surgeons make treatment plan decisions more easily. For spine surgery, traditionally, physicians use anatomic landmarks, shown through pre-operative X-rays, to determine where to operate and implant devices. However, the image of a patient’s anatomy can sometimes vary slightly between the pre-operative scan versus the appearance of the anatomy at the time of surgery due to positioning. The O-Arm eliminates this potential variation since it is a live image during surgery. The technology is available in only a few other hospitals in the United States.
The O-arm system allows physicians to take 360 degree images around the patient, without having to move the patient. This allows for unrestricted views of the patient’s anatomy, yielding highly detailed images, comparable only to those of fixed computed tomography (CT) systems. The precise images are projected onto digital flat panel monitors in the OR in less than 30 seconds, allowing surgeons to obtain live scans after fusion and implant placement before the surgery is even complete. The surgeon then has the immediate feedback needed to make adjustments if necessary during the operation. The system’s mobility allows it to be used for multiple procedures occurring simultaneously.
“Computer-assisted surgical navigation allows us to take real time, 3-D images of the patient intra-operatively to operate more precisely,” says Max Steuer, M.D., neurosurgeon at Northside Hospital. “This technology also may allow for smaller incisions, shorter surgeries, less pain for the patient and a faster recovery.”
“We are excited to bring this technology to Atlanta,” says Vicki Barnett, R.N., director of surgical services at Northside Hospital. “New advances such as the O-Arm allow us to stay at the forefront of advanced surgical techniques and to provide the highest quality of patient care possible. This technology will enhance our ability to deliver optimum surgical care for many patients who access the Northside Hospital Spine Center for diagnosis and treatment.”
In 2006/07, in the National Research Corporation’s annually conducted Healthcare Market Guide study, consumers ranked Northside Hospital number one in Most Personalized Care and Outpatient/Same Day Surgery in the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area. Surgeons on staff at Northside Hospital perform more than 35,000 surgical cases annually for outpatients and inpatients in multiple, specialized operating room suites.
For more information about Northside Hospital’s Surgical Services or for a free physician referral, call 404-845-5555, or visit us online at
www.northside.com.
