First Spine Surgery Performed With PathKeeper Surgical’s 3D Optical Navigation System

PathKeeper Surgical’s PathKeeper 3D optical navigation system has been used for the first time to perform spinal fusion surgery.

The procedure took place at Southcoast Health’s St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, Mass. The system was used to create a comprehensive surgical plan and accurately navigate the single-level, lumbar degenerative spinal fusion surgery.

“The PathKeeper system addresses many of the intricacies of spine surgery and adjusts to individual patient needs with a high level of accuracy and no radiation during a crucial part of the surgical procedure,” said Matthew Philips, M.D., chief of Brain & Spine Services, Southcoast Health Neurosurgery in Dartmouth, Mass. “We have already experienced the clinical benefits of incorporating the PathKeeper system into our spinal fusion surgeries at St. Luke’s Hospital.”
 
The PathKeeper 3D optical navigation system aims to improve the clinical experience, increase surgical accuracy, and eliminate radiation exposure during spinal surgery. It is designed to replace traditional navigation technology with a 3D optical navigation system that offers comprehensive surgical planning; active, independent, submillimeter registration and tracking of the patient anatomy and surgical instruments; pinpoint accuracy of device implantation; more efficient surgical workflow; elimination of radiation exposure during the surgical procedure; and a more economical price so both the hospital and ambulatory-surgical center operating rooms can incorporate this new technology.
 
“We are thrilled at the adoption of the PathKeeper system at Southcoast Health, which continues our expansion of the PathKeeper system to hospitals and surgery centers across the United States,” Pathkeeper Surgical Chief Commercial Officer Ryan LeBlanc stated. “The PathKeeper system drives improved clinical outcomes and economic value to patients and healthcare providers.”
 
PathKeeper Surgical received U.S. Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance earlier this year for the PathKeeper system. 
 
PathKeeper Surgical is an Israeli medical technology founded in 2018 by Erez Lampert, a top 3D medical imaging expert with more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare and aerospace industries, and a proven track record in the field of 3D imaging. Lampert previously served as the R&D leader for the Itero Element Intraoral Scanner for Align Technology (Invisalign), a 3D dental scanner.  
 
For more than 25 years, Southcoast Health has served communities across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The not-for-profit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals as well as a network of more than 700 physicians, hospitalists, and midlevel practitioners. Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts, and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal.