Visible Light Navigation in Spine Surgery: My Experience With My First 150 Cases

Technological innovations have revolutionized spine surgery. There are a variety of image-guidance systems and navigation options including robotics and augmented reality. These devices provide the opportunity for increased safety and efficiency in surgery. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach to spinal instrumentation. In this article, the author reviews his experience with visible light navigation using a 7-dimensional (7D) machine vision system and reviews the use, strengths, and weaknesses of this method of spinal navigation.This study is a retrospective cohort investigation of 150 consecutive patients who underwent spinal instrumentation placement utilizing visible light navigation. The objective was to determine the utility of the navigation system and its strengths and weaknesses as well as to assess patient safety when screw placement is performed with visible light navigation in place of C-arm localization. Visible light navigation was found to be effective and efficient, enhancing screw placement and decreasing surgical time. There were no complications in this series of patients and no instances of symptomatic screw malposition.