Application of the ‘Surgical GPS’ to posterior spinal fusion procedures for scoliosis correction

Abstract

ABSTRACT Scoliotic deformity correction is usually addressed with a posterior spinal fusion (PSF) approach. PSF operations are significantly invasive but can become safer and more efficient by reducing the number of ligament releases performed. However, PSF pre-operative planning to lessen ligament releases is constrained by current diagnostic imaging, which struggles with soft tissue localization, causing ligament release minimisation to be indeterminable. Patient-specific meshes that encompass vertebrae, intervertebral disks, ligaments, and other soft tissue may more accurately guide these pre-operative planning studies as well as intra-operative, computer-assisted surgery (CAS) systems supporting deformity correction. Further, merging physician-designated anatomical landmarks and pre-existing surgical ontologies into a resource description framework (RDF) format permits real-time, CAS guidance accommodating countless surgical workflows. By combining RDF-driven CAS guidance and patient-specific meshes, preoperative and intraoperative support of PSF procedures can be achieved at an individualised level. This study presents an early implementation of this combination, as the ‘Surgical GPS’.