FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2002
Local Surgeons Perform "Virtual" Operations with Image-Guided Navigation System
OLYMPIA—Global positioning satellite systems that track the location and direction of vehicles have revolutionized the way we find our way around an unfamiliar city. Now, similar technology is being used by surgeons at Providence St. Peter Hospital to pinpoint where healthy tissue ends and a tumor begins – before a patient even enters the operating room.
The StealthStationâ Treonä system uses new 3-D imaging technology to guide surgeons through complicated neurological, brain and spinal procedures. With this technology, surgeons can see inside a patient’s body both before and during surgery.
Before an operation, surgeons can identify the best spot to make the incision and the ideal path to the targeted site. Then they can focus on the exact location they need to during surgery, without compromising nearby muscle, tissue, nerves or blood vessels.
As a result, patients may spend less time in the operating room, have smaller incisions and less trauma to the surrounding tissues. This leads to shorter hospital stays and faster recoveries.
Prior to a surgical operation, a patient undergoes diagnostic testing such as a CT (computed tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). These images are converted into 3-D, showing the patient’s organs, muscles, tissues and nerves. The surgeon uses this information to plan the operation on the computer.
When surgery begins, the 3-D images are synchronized with real-time information provided by light-emitting diode (LED) cameras in the operating room. By matching the pre-surgery information to the patient’s real anatomy, surgeons can manipulate the view to see precisely what they need. It also allows them to track instruments during the surgery, including the position of the instrument and the angle at which it is entering the body — side to side, up and down, and back and forth — with tremendous precision.
"The ability to turn traditional diagnostic images into 3-D models takes surgery to new levels," said Lorna Eberle, director of surgical services at Providence St. Peter Hospital. "We are excited to have this new technology at our hospital."
The StealthStation Treon system was developed by Medtronic, Inc., the world’s leading medical technology company. The system also can be used for orthopedic and ear/nose/throat surgeries. Providence St. Peter Hospital is the first hospital in Southwest Washington to acquire a StealthStation Treon system.
Providence St. Peter Hospital, founded by the Sisters of Providence in 1887, is a not-for-profit 390-bed hospital serving the five-county South Sound region with comprehensive medical, surgical and mental health services.
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