Tribune News Network
Doha
Hamad General Hospital’s neurosurgical team at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) successfully performed a precise surgical procedure to remove a cancerous spinal tumour in a patient in his sixties, using a modern technology called ‘Augmented Reality with Electronic Navigation’.
This modern technology was used for the first time in Qatar and the Middle East, supported by NextAR Spinal device.
Dr Sirajeddin Belkhair, head of the Neurosurgery Department at HMC and the leader of the surgical team that performed the surgery, explained that this advanced technology allows surgeons to guide surgical instruments with high precision within the patient’s spinal column. It minimises risk of injury to the surrounding vascular and neural tissues, thereby reducing the potential side effects of the surgical procedure.
The technology relies on the integration of the patient’s spinal column CT scan images with the actual patient spine through electronic glasses worn by the surgeon during the procedure.
These glasses connect to a computer through Bluetooth within the operating room, providing a clearer view for placing spinal implants. As a result, the surgical procedure can be performed more quickly and with greater accuracy than ever before.
The patient, a 60-year-old, had been suffering from a spinal tumour that had been exerting pressure on the spinal cord, causing paralysis of both of his legs and not able to walk. After the six-hour surgical procedure, the tumour was successfully removed and the patient regained the ability to walk on the third day after the surgery.
The patient is currently undergoing post-operative physical therapy to fully recover his walking ability and return to his normal life.
Dr Sirajeddin emphasised the importance of the Augmented Reality and Electronic Navigation technology in spinal surgery due to the complexity of spinal anatomy and the need for extreme precision, adding that this technology helps in identifying optimal surgical sites and angles and provides accurate guidance for the surgical instruments used in placing spinal implants.
The Neurosurgery Department at HMC has experienced significant growth in recent years in terms of the quality and quantity of surgical procedures.
The department performs over 1,000 surgeries annually, encompassing brain and spinal surgery in all its branches and providing high-quality medical services to the residents and citizens of Qatar.
Dr Sirajeddin Belkhair attributed the substantial increase in the number and quality of surgeries to the growing confidence of patients, both citizens and residents, in the quality of the surgical procedures and medical services provided by HMC.
This eliminates the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment, as they can receive the best medical care in Qatar from highly skilled medical teams.