Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for Spine-Surgical Guidance

As people’s life expectancy increases, more individuals will develop degenerative diseases over their lifetime. Surgeries like spinal fusion can help manage these diseases to improve mobility and alleviate pain in the aging population. During spinal fusion, two or more adjacent vertebrae are connected to stabilize part of the spine. Since it takes several months for the bones to grow together, connecting rods and pedicle screws provide support in the meantime. Inserting these screws into the vertebrae is a delicate procedure that, if not done correctly, could harm nearby nerves and blood vessels. To find the correct screw trajectory, surgeons rely on tactile feedback and their experience, as they cannot see inside the body. To support surgeons and enhance safety, the procedure can be guided by technology. Although surgical navigation systems exist, their high cost is a barrier to widespread use. A simple and affordable alternative is tissue sensing technology, which provides insights into the structure and composition of the tissue being examined. This information helps detect the border of the vertebra during spinal fusion to prevent breaches into surrounding tissue. Even where surgical navigation is available, tissue sensing offers an extra layer of safety, for instance, if the spine has moved during surgery....