For children who require corrective spine surgery, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach is the only children’s hospital in California to offer an advanced image-guided surgical system for spine surgery – the 7D Surgical System.
The 7D Surgical System is a revolutionary image-guided navigation system that guides surgeons during surgery – advancing and optimizing surgical care for children with severe cases of scoliosis.
The 7D Surgical System process begins by using the FLASH™ Navigation System – an instrument using structured light and special cameras to quickly analyze the surface of the patient’s anatomy using only visible light. This creates a full-color, 3D image that virtually reconstructs the child’s unique anatomy consisting of nearly one million data points. This technology is very similar to the technology found in self-driving cars and is performed in less than 30 seconds, giving surgeons a roadmap for surgical navigation. This provides segmental accuracy at every level, no matter the position of the patient or intraoperative movement.
Surgeons who use the 7D Surgical System also vastly reduce the need for intraoperative radiation or fluoroscopy (continuous X-ray). Because the system only uses visible light, patients are not exposed to any radiation during the intraoperative use of this technology, which is especially important in children with growing bodies.
The 7D Surgical System significantly reduces operation times since registration times during procedures are reduced from 30 minutes to less than 30 seconds. The system is small and requires minimal space in the operating room which provides ease of use and maneuverability. These improvements in accuracy also allow surgeons to have confidence in implant placement. These advances allow surgeons to shorten surgical times by up to one to two hours in nearly all cases.
The Orthopedic Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital provides fully integrated, state-of-the-art orthopedic care for all children from birth to 21 years of age and is committed to acquiring the most advanced technologies that allow for leading treatment techniques.
In addition to the 7D Surgical System, the Center also uses the EOS Imaging System, allowing patients to stand up to be X-rayed and has much lower radiation dosage than a traditional X-ray.
The Center has a team of board-certified surgeons – specializing in a wide range of orthopedic sub-specialties – who work together to cover the entire pediatric orthopedic spectrum.