CHICAGO, January 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

HoloSurgical Inc, a digital surgery company, announced a successful first in human surgical procedure utilizing the ARAI™, an augmented reality and artificial intelligence based surgical navigation system.

The ARAI™ is an advanced digital surgery platform that combines 3D visualization, data analytics, and machine learning to improve outcomes, reduce surgical time, and decrease surgical complications. The clinically-tested ARAI™ surgical guidance system provides real-time, patient-specific, 3D anatomical visualization for pre-surgical planning, real-time intraoperative guidance, and postsurgical data analytics. The system:

• Provides surgeons with "X-ray-like vision", allowing them to clearly "see" the color-coded organs as if they were not covered by the skin, muscles and connective tissue
• Utilizes artificial intelligence to autonomously segment and analyze patient anatomy and identify (by color coding) key anatomical landmarks in real time
• Utilizes artificial intelligence to autonomously plan the surgical procedure in seconds, including implant size and position; avoids inadvertent injury to critical structures (such as nerves and vessels); and offers real-time "smart guidance" during the surgery.
• Utilizes augmented reality to allow surgeons to visualize internal anatomical structures such as nerves, vessels, joints, and bones in 3D without making incisions and without looking at a monitor - thus, away from the surgical field
• Increases surgical accuracy and precision by offering surgeons real-time interactive guidance and providing alerts and suggestions throughout the surgical procedure
• Reduces operating time, cost, and complications caused by suboptimal surgical execution

The case, a lumbar decompression and fusion procedure, was performed on a 61-year-old male suffering from severe back and leg pain as a result of a grade 2 spondylolisthesis, a degenerative spinal condition resulting in spinal stenosis. The surgery was performed in a minimally invasive fashion and the ARAI™ system was flawlessly incorporated into the surgeon's regular work-flow.

During the procedure, the ARAI™ system automatically identified relevant anatomical structures and color coded them, presented a treatment plan, and guided the surgeon to place the implant using augmented reality-based 3D visualization.

Prof. Rafał Pankowski MD, PhD, Director of the AO Spine Center, Vice-Chairman and Head of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Medical University of Gdansk, Poland who was the lead surgeon commented, "The ARAI™ system provided me with 3D visualization of the spinal anatomy, including the lumbar nerves, while suggesting implant trajectories and guiding me in real time, before I even made the incision. This system allows for a significantly less invasive procedure while increasing surgeon confidence and decreasing chances for human error."

HoloSurgical's CEO Dr. Kris Siemionow, MD, PhD remarked, "We are extremely pleased with this successful first in man case - it is another big step toward making surgery simpler, faster, and less invasive.  The 'smart visualization with guidance' is a fundamental pillar of 'digital surgery' of the future. The use of our digital surgery platform has the potential to simplify and automate a wide variety of surgical procedures while decreasing soft tissue morbidity thus improving patient outcomes."

HOLOSURGICAL is a digital surgery company focused on improving patient outcomes by bringing Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence to the operating room.

For more information: www.holosurgical.com

SOURCE HoloSurgical