Imaging, Navigation, and Robotics in Spine Surgery

Spinal technology involves imaging, navigation, and robotics-collectively known as "image-guided therapy." Imaging coupled with navigation enhances visualization of irregular anatomy, enabling less invasive procedures. With robotics surgeons can perform quicker and safer hand movements with increased accuracy. In the 1890s, X-rays were invented by Roentgen. The first piece of X-ray equipment, the Cryptoscope, would take an image for 15 minutes, with the surgeon placing his hand in front of the beam to guide calibration; radiation exposure for both surgeon and patient was extreme. In the 1950s, fluoroscopy (C-arm) was invented. In the 1970s, computer-assisted tomography (CAT), known as CAT scan, became available; magnetic resonance imaging had its beginnings in the 1980s, and in 1985, the first robotic surgery was performed to obtain a neurosurgical biopsy specimen. The concept of navigation was introduced in the 1990s, and today's niche products for navigation came onto the market in the 2000s.