Mercy Medical Center adds O-arm imaging system to improve spinal surgery results

Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor)Jul 17 2019

As part of continuing efforts to provide patients with the latest in medical technology, Mercy Medical Center has added the Medtronic O-arm^® Mobile Surgical Imaging System to lessen radiation exposure and improve spinal surgery results, Charles C. Park, M.D., Ph.D., Director of The Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Center at Mercy has announced.

The O-arm Surgical Imaging System is a multi-dimensional surgical imaging platform for use in cranial, spine, and trauma-related surgeries. The system provides real-time, intra-operative imaging of a patient's anatomy including bones and implants with high quality images and a large field-of-view in both two and three dimensions.

In essence, the O-arm is a mobile X-ray machine that offers a 360-degree scan of the patient's anatomy during spinal, lumbar, thoracic and cervical surgeries. It provides me with the best viewing positions, allowing for real-time navigation of spinal instrumentation in 3D. While others utilize the O-arm in traditional, open surgery, I use the system for minimally invasive spinal procedures."

Charles C. Park, M.D., Ph.D., Director, The Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Center, Mercy Medical Center

In the OR, the O-arm forms a ring around the patient which can be opened and closed so the patient does not have to be moved. It rotates to take 2-D moving x-rays and 3-D images of the body. The O-arm includes a navigational component that allows the surgeon to guide instruments through the body in real time, ensuring greater precision in the placement of hardware.

"The processing is very fast; you can capture the entire cervical spine in a single 13-second scan. In less than half a minute, the O-arm can take nearly 400 images," Dr. Park said. The images are then reconstructed on large digital flat-screen mobile viewing station which Dr. Park reviews during the surgery.

"The O-arm ensures that patient hardware or implants are placed as exactly as possible, reducing the chances of a second corrective surgery. The result is a faster, less invasive surgery and less time in the OR. Patient recovery is enhanced, and we see better patient outcomes," Dr. Park added.