Ultrasound navigated spinal fusion surgery

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In 2012, approximately 1.3 million cases of spine surgeries were performed in the United States alone, 53% of which consisted of spinal fusion surgeries necessitating insertion of screw implants. The placement of these screws is complex due to limited visibility of the spine, continuous bleeding in the exposed regions, and variability in morphology. Unfortunately, literature reports an alarmingly high rate of screw misplacements (20-40%). Of major concern is the fact that improperly placed screws could place the surrounding vital structures at risk. This could lead to potential patient paralysis, lawsuits for hospitals and the financial burden of revision surgeries for healthcare. A potential guidance method for determining the best screw trajectory is by using real-time ultrasound imaging: a miniaturized ultrasound device that can be inserted into the center of the pedicle bone in order to image the anatomy from within, for identification of bone boundaries. Our current technology development goals are to reduce to practice a very novel design for an imaging device to help ensure surgeon acceptance and smooth integration with their workflow. Our technology will be portable, affordable and will have advantage over X-ray technologies from a safety and cost standpoint, as well as with other technologies that do not provide real time feedback. It is estimated that through a reduction in the rate of revision surgeries, our imaging device could result in up to $600M of annual cost savings to the U.S. healthcare, an equivalent of $60M to Ontario. In addition, it could be used for reducing training time for surgical residents and could be used in battlefield clinics, where no portable imaging available.