O-Arm Surgical Imaging

Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center was the first hospital in Nevada to acquire the O-arm® Multidimensional Imaging System. The O-arm system captures 391 images that are compiled in 192 "slices." These slices form a 3-D picture that helps surgeons verify the precise location of spinal and other hardware implants to avoid touching nerves, muscle, tissue or bone that could impede the patient’s recovery time and healing process.

Fast Imaging Time

“Time is critical in the operating room because you don’t want to keep patients under anesthesia any longer than necessary,” said Yevgeniy Khavkin, MD, Director of the Spine and Neurosurgery Program at Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, who first used the imaging system in 2014. “The O-arm® provides multidimensional images in about 30 seconds, and can show surgeons real time 3-D imaging." The O-arm is being used primarily for spine, neurological and orthopedic surgeries.

Potential Benefits

Among the potential benefits of this technology are:

• Smaller incisions, resulting in less pain, quicker recovery times and a decreased chance of infection or other complications.
• Fast access to multidimensional images. Images are produced in approximately 30 seconds, reducing overall time in surgery and reducing the amount of time patients are under anesthesia.
• Verification of implant hardware placement. Surgeons can view a patient's anatomy, verify placement and make any adjustments before the patient leaves the operating room.
• Visualization of implant hardware placement can potentially reduce the need for follow-up surgery.

Using intra-operative scans and a technology similar to GPS, a piece of equipment called the StealthStation S7 Treatment Guidance System creates a visual image of the patient's anatomy in 3-D during the surgery, and allows surgeons to see the exact placement of surgical instrumentation throughout the procedure.