JACKSON SPINE SURGEONS AND THE iSUITE
Patrick
Ryan, MD
John
Hackman, MD
Michael
Davis, MD
Thomas
Whisenhunt, MD
Thomas
Rigsby, MD
JACKSON HOSPITAL
has become the backbone of spine and cranial surgery with
the installation of two Stryker iSuites, the only ones of their kind in the River Region. The
iSuites are integrated operating rooms complete with computer-assisted technology, body-
mapping navigation systems and the capability for surgeons to be more precise than ever
before.
With SpineMap 3D Spine Navigation and iNtellect Cranial Navigation software, surgeons
are able to operate with what Stryker representatives call a “GPS for the human body.” The
Stryker Navigation technology for spinal surgery uses an infrared camera and instruments
along with unique tracking software to assist in guiding surgeons and their instruments
through the delicate anatomy around the spinal cord.
How it works
Computer-assisted spinal surgery begins with a CT scan of the spine that shows the patient’s
anatomy and reveals the location and extent of the abnormality. The scan is loaded into a
computer that creates a virtual 3-D model of the patient’s spine. Surgeons identify “landmarks”
that can be registered on the patient’s real anatomy and help determine the precise size and
location of spinal implants to be inserted.
During surgery, the infrared camera communicates with the sensors mounted on the
patient and instruments, and the tracking software continuously calculates and displays the
location of the surgical instruments relative to the patient’s anatomy.
“It’s really navigated spine surgery,” said Gerald Pennington, of Stryker’s marketing com-
munications department. “When a patient goes in for surgery, we have a preformatted map
of the patient. The patient has already been registered so we can establish landmarks on the
patient. Then we register our instrumentation in relation to the patient. We have trackers
that are on these instruments doctors are using to perform the surgery. We can determine the
perfect trajectory for a screw placement, for instance. The navigation computer is calculating
the exact trajectory.”
Benefits for doctors—and patients
For Jackson Hospital doctors, the technology in the iSuite is a surgery game-changer.
“The Stryker iSuite lets me see all the information that comes back from the sensors and
monitors during surgery in one central location, and I can then make precise adjustments
as needed,” said neurosurgeon Patrick Ryan, MD. “I am able to combine my many years of
neurosurgical experience with this excellent technology to navigate an exact surgical path,
which provides a better outcome for the most important person in the room—the patient.
The latest in spine care is right here in Montgomery.”
— Continued on page 10
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