Published: August 19, 2024
Our orthopedic team specializes in taking care of kids and their growing bones.
Norton Children’s orthopedic surgeons now have more advanced computer navigation technology to treat kids and teenagers with scoliosis and other spine deformities.
Called the 7D Surgical Navigation System, this imaging guidance system is designed to aid surgeons in the operating room. Norton Children’s Hospital is the first pediatric hospital in Kentucky to use 7D.
“With most spine surgeries, we place screws into the spine to place rods that hold the spine in position,” said Joshua W. Meier, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville. “One of the more challenging aspects of that surgery is placing the screws in the spine because they’re close to the spinal cord and nerve roots.”
Traditionally, surgeons use live X-ray imaging to help with placing the screws. 7D takes a CT scan of the patient’s spine, and then it uses that scan during surgery to help the surgeon direct where these screws are going. The computer navigation allows for more detailed placement.
“7D uses a light. Basically, you shine a light onto the spine and that light bounces off the bone. The computer then recognizes what level of the spine you’re at based on how much of that light comes back. It knows that you’re at a certain part of the spine and that precision is very important,” Dr. Meier said.
The goal of using 7D is to make the surgery as effective as possible, but there’s also a potential safety component. Without the need for live X-ray during the procedure, the patient and others in the operating room are exposed to less radiation.
“Medical radiation is always getting better and safer, but it has a cumulative effect over time,” Dr. Meier said. “The less radiation we can use — especially with a child — and the less radiation we’re exposed to as surgeons, the better our long-term health benefits.”
With positive results so far, more 7D procedures are being planned. Dr. Meier is excited about the possibilities beyond spine surgery. “I think the complexity of operations we can do using this technology is definitely higher,” he said. “Right now, it’s really for spine deformity surgery, but I think as it grows, this type of technology may be used for other types of orthopedic surgeries. We’re excited to see what this type of technology could do in other areas of our field to help more patients.”