Recent reports have stated that GPS-like maps are being used to help spine surgeons take some of the guesswork out of tricky procedures. As we have previously posted GPS has many diverse uses, this has also being published on gps.ie. Most people are aware that GPS is often used to help motorists plan routes to avoid wasting gas and time. The navigational system for spine surgery works on those same principals. Fixing a patients debilitating back pain was going to be a big issue.
The patient from Greenfield in the U.S had two degenerative discs and had put off surgery because he knew there was a reasonable chance that it would’nt help. He knew that fixing the problem required two operations in one, receiving cadaver bone grafts through an incision in the abdomen and then securing them with screws with an incision in his back. When he learned of navigational technology that promises precision, the patient decided to go for the surgery. The doctor involved said the sophisticated tracking system takes out the guesswork. The navigation works with an antenna hammered into the pelvis and mapping software that keeps a virtual eye on the patient’s spine. The patients surgery was six weeks ago, and he is now back to work, was up to walking two to three miles a day and is also lifting weights.
