Israeli Augmented Reality Surgical Navigation System Undergoes Successful Clinical Trials

Israeli company Augmedics, creators of the xvisionTM (XVS) spinal surgical technology device—an augmented-reality surgical navigation system for spine surgery—announced that the system had undergone initial clinical trials on humans. The XVS system, developed in northern Israel and tested in Sheba Tel Hashomer and Asaf Harofeh Medical Centers, features the projection of a 3D image that is visible to a surgeon via a special head-mounted display and augmented reality goggles. This equipment and display scans the anatomical structure of the subject, helps the wearer navigate the best route to the targeted treatment area, and pinpoints the best trajectory for placement of surgical screws. Previously available guidance technology required surgeons to constantly shift their focus between the patient and a faraway screen, while the XVS system allows them to maintain their eye contact with the site of the surgery. Multi-center trials have attested to the safety, efficiency, accuracy, and usability of XVS during spine fusion procedures, signaling that the system might soon be approved for pelvic, cervical, and other types of surgery as well. The company has gained recognition from Orthoworld, Medtech Insight, Becker’s Spine Review, and Bloomberg Businessweek, among other publications, and was the winner of the 2018 Orthopedics This Week Spine Technology Awards