Image Guidance for Spinal Facet Injections Using T

Authors: John Moore Colin Clarke Daniel Bainbridge Chris Wedlake Andrew Wiles Danielle Pace Terry Peters

Publish Date: 2009/9/20

Volume: , Issue: , Pages: 516-523

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Abstract

Anesthetic nerve blocks are a common therapy performed in hospitals around the world to alleviate acute and chronic pain Tracking systems have shown considerable promise in other forms of therapy but little has been done to apply this technology in the field of anesthesia We are developing a guidance system for combining tracked needles with noninvasive ultrasound US and patientspecific geometric models In experiments with phantoms two augmented reality AR guidance systems were compared to the exclusive use of US for lumbar facet injection therapy Anesthetists and anesthesia residents were able to place needles within 057mm of the intended targets using our AR systems compared to 577 mm using US alone A preliminary cadaver study demonstrated the system was able to accurately place radio opaque dye on targets The combination of real time US with tracked tools and AR guidance has the potential to replace CT and fluoroscopic guidance thus reducing radiation dose to patients and clinicians as well as reducing health care costs

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