EOS imaging Partners with Spinologics on Spine Surgery Simulation

EOS imaging, a provider of 2D/3D orthopedic medical imaging, is partnering with Montreal-based Spinologics to develop a biomechanical simulation software dedicated to spine surgery planning. It will be integrated ito EOS imaging’s cloud-based, 3D planning software and will allow surgeons to plan treatment from EOS 3D dataset taking into account the patient’s stiffness and physiological parameters.

Spinologics’ team of spine surgeons and engineers explores the biomechanics of the spine s within academic and corporate research and development, and has developed dedicated software to simulate the biomechanical response to various approaches of spinal treatment. Itslatest release includes an improved multi-axial screw finite element model and a new spinal hook model in patient surgeries including up to four rods.

The biomechanical model of the spine and the pelvis provides input to define a planned correction taking into account the spine stiffness, while predicting if there could be a risk of failure along the course of treatment. It will bring particular value to the correction of elderly patient deformity and degenerative spine conditions for which spine flexibility is diminished. The approach also applies to pediatric surgery.

The joint development effort will use patient-specific 3D datasets from EOS exams to simulate in-situ bending, vertebral de-rotation, contraction-distraction as well as gravitational effects. The new capability should allow surgeons to better understand and anticipate the effects of forces on the spine while planning initial and revision surgeries. EOS imaging will have the exclusive rights to sell the new software worldwide with an anticipated release date of the first product by mid-2017.

The EOS platform provides 2D and 3D full-body, stereo-radiographic images of patients in functional positions. EOS exams offer a radiation dose 50% to 85% less than Digital Radiology and 95% less than basic CT scans. The new EOS Micro Dose system, marks another important step towards the ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable). This latest technology has made the dose for a pediatric spine follow-up exam equivalent to a week’s worth of natural background radiation on Earth.