Becker's Spine Review

12 SPINE SURGEONS 10 technologies spine surgeons are obsessing over By Alan Condon S pine surgery is an innovative medical specialty that has seen significant tech- nological strides in the past decade. Here are 10 technologies that spine surgeons are championing as the next big thing. 1. Single-position spine surgery. Recent studies in e Spine Journal and e Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine demonstrated the advantages of single-position approaches to spine surgery compared to the traditional open method. Most notably, single-position techniques have been deemed safe and repro- ducible procedures that can reduce OR time as staff do not need to reposition the patient during surgery. emistocles Protopsaltis, MD, chief of spine surgery and co-director of the Spine Center at NYU Langone in New York City, is one surgeon whose practice has benefitted from single-position spine surgery. "We can achieve better height restoration, especially for slipped discs where the vertebrae shi out of position," he said. "It gives us more powerful anatomical control to restore discs to their normal alignment — which is more likely to heal and eliminate problems pa- tients can experience later due to segment degeneration." 2. Telemedicine. During the pandemic, the use of telemedicine was kicked into overdrive, with physicians in many specialties getting a closer look at how the technology can streamline and facilitate the traditional office visit. It is expected to continue to reshape clinical practice. "is will ultimately allow patients to receive the best care possible at their convenience, despite common boundaries such as busy work schedules, living in rural areas or having functional limitations," Alex Vaccaro, MD, PhD, of Philadelphia-based Rothman Or- thopaedics, told Becker's. "Patients can now receive second opinions from world-class thought leaders at a fraction of the price, and a surgeon's office hours can now be mobile, exploiting downtime at medical meetings and between surgical cases if necessary." 3. Augmented reality. Interest in augmented reality has grown sig- nificantly over the past decade, stemming from a desire to limit complications associat- ed with instrumented spine surgery and im- proving procedural efficiency. Initial AR technologies focus on placing ped- icle screws accurately and efficiently, which represents the "low-hanging fruit," accord- ing to Frank Phillips, MD, of Chicago-based Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. e next step for AR spine surgery will be to assist placing interbody cages and facilitate precision neu- ral compression. "Given the significant capital expenses associ- ated with spinal robotics making them largely cost-prohibitive in ASCs, the far more man- ageable cost of the AR system makes it ideal for ASC fusion procedures," Dr. Phillips said. "It could play an increasing role in surgical planning and providing virtual guidance in- traoperatively as to how our surgical execu- tion — for example, deformity correction — is matching preoperative goals." 4. Virtual reality. Virtual reality technology has arrived in spine, but the widespread adoption is still waiting to break into the mainstream. One key benefit, particularly during the COVID-19 era, is the use of virtual reality for surgical training — a recent study showed virtual reality to be safer in training younger surgeons and less costly. "As a training tool, both for new graduates as well as surgeons that want to improve their skills, these technologies can be very useful," according to Alok Sharan, MD, of NJ Spine and Wellness in East Brunswick, N.J. "As there is a greater emphasis on quality and outcomes, surgeons will have to ensure that they are able to produce reproducible results. is will require virtual coaching by other surgeons who can help a surgeon attain high- er quality and efficiency in the OR." 5. 3D printing. Residents and fellows in spine programs are increasingly using 3D-printed anatomical models for patient education and surgical planning, and have demonstrated particular use for complex procedures. Device compa- nies are also developing more 3D-printed im- plants with unique structures and surfaces to optimize fusion. "In the next three years, I see 3D printing growing significantly to fill the need of pa- tient-specific implants," Samuel Joseph Jr., MD, of Joseph Spine Institute, told Becker's. "is will be carried into pedicle screws, cervical plating, as well as cage design. With better technology, including artificial intel- ligence and preop planning, we will be able to develop implants that reduce OR time, cost, as well as allow us to restore appropriate alignment with reduced complications." 6. Artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are expected to play a big part in how spine surgeons approach preoperative clinic visits and guide decisions based on pre- dictive models. "In spinal deformity, algorithms have been developed, capturing over 100 variables, which can quickly and accurately — in real time — inform the surgeon of the risk and benefit of a particular operation for a specif- ic patient," according to David Kaye, MD, of Rothman Orthopaedics. "Similar algorithms have been created to suggest 'ideal' align- ment parameters for a specific patient based on their unique profile, and tools such as patient specific rods have been developed to help the surgeon achieve these end goals. As outcomes from these surgeries are collected and added to the datasets, machine learning allows the algorithm to become even more accurate." 7. Motion-preservation technology. In recent years, cervical disc replacement has taken off, with more long-term data continu- ing to impress the spine community. Lumbar "One of the cool things about endoscopic procedures is it's allowed me to do decompressions on many different patients who would have traditionally obtained a fusion." - Dr. Peter Derman

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