Surgical Theater, a company headquartered in Mayfield Village, Ohio, won FDA clearance for its Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform (SNAP) for neurosurgical applications. The system interconnects with operating room navigation devices to provide advanced visualization of tools and the anatomy of the brain. It offers both a microscopic view of tumors as well as multiple-camera views from different angles at the same time, allowing neurosurgeons to have a complete picture of the brain structures in question.

The SNAP combines imaging data from MRI and CT scanners, allowing surgeons to fly through the patient’s virtually reconstructed 3D brain. This opens up new capabilities for clinicians to prepare a safe and effective approach when removing tumors and repairing vascular defects. Individual anatomical structures, such as vascular networks, can be made semi-transparent in order to see what’s behind them. In addition to navigating through the brain’s anatomy, the system features simulation capabilities that permit the execution of scenarios before a real scalpel is brought in.

SNAP can also be used as a teaching and collaboration tool for surgeons in different facilities to study and prepare for the same unique case.

“We have used the SNAP in the operating room in a handful of surgeries. The SNAP’s realistic 3D imaging is one-of-a-kind and has been introduced as an integrated OR device for the first time at our medical center,” said Warren R. Selman MD, Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “It is just like watching a football game when multiple cameras are located around the arena and an editor can freeze the image, rotate, zoom in, zoom out and see things that he could not otherwise see. In my recent surgeries, I was able to pause the navigation scene during the surgery to rotate the image and to verify that I removed the entire tumor and to make sure that I was within a safe distance from a vital artery while removing the tumor. With the SNAP connected to the OR navigation platform, the OR team coordination is enhanced, and we are utilizing the best imaging technology tool to benefit our patients.”

Source:Surgical Theater