April 26, 2021 – Medtronic plc (Franklin Lakes, NJ) announced a partnership to interface Surgical Theater’s (Mayfield Village, OH) SyncAR augmented reality (AR) technology with Medtronic’s StealthStation S8 surgical navigation system.
Medtronic says this collaboration will enable neurosurgeons to use AR technology in real-time to enhance visualization during complex cranial procedures.
Using “fighter-jet simulation technology,” the SyncAR platform allows surgeons to visualize structures in the brain, test virtual surgical tools and plan surgeries before entering the operating room.
By integrating this technology with the StealthStation S8 cranial solution, surgeons can expand the benefits of AR and, for the first time, see a 360° AR rendering overlaid onto the live surgical site during brain surgeries, the company says.
Surgical Theater’s SyncAR technology synchronizes with Medtronic’s StealthStation S8 navigation system and microscope optics to provide tools that may help surgeons accomplish complicated procedures with increased precision and efficiency.
The combination of the StealthStation S8 and SyncAR technology is designed to give surgeons the ability to see otherwise hidden anatomical and vascular structures, pathologies, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) white matter tracts synchronized and aligned to the surgeon’s operative view.
A 360° AR rendering, created from the patient’s scans, is overlaid onto the live image viewed through the oculars of the microscope as they track the positioning of their surgical tools, allowing surgeons to keep their eyes focused on the patient.