Dr. David M. Farrington and his team combined 7D technology to operate on a 14-year-old boy. progressive severe scoliosis.

In this way, it may sound as if there is another piece of news that is coldly and hastily spoken. But it is not. This is the fourth such response in Spain and the first in private healthcare, particularly in Europe. Quirónsalud Sacred Heart Hospital in Seville. And from here the horizon of extraordinary possibilities opens.

Talking about 7D technology is using big words in the next generation virtual reality space. To put it simply: when we talk about 3D, we are referring to a depth effect in images that are in front of us on a screen and that we can see with or without glasses. 7D technology lets you immerse yourself in reality by experiencing smells, immersive sounds and even sensations.

As a result, Its applications are endless and thought-provoking in the field of science fiction or our nearest future.. But you don’t have to go that far: current medicine in Spain has already started using this tool to tackle scoliosis surgery in a pediatric patient.

risky surgery

In these severe cases, surgery intervenes. this doctor farrington and his team perform more than thirty interventions per year at Quirónsalud Sagrado Corazón’s Pediatric Traumatology and Orthopedics Service in Seville. It is an operation based on the placement of pedicle screws into the patient’s spine. Dr. This technique is not without risk, says Farrington, “as any error in the orientation of a screw can have devastating consequences, as large-caliber arteries or veins on the outside of the vertebrae that can suffer an injury are severely vascular; and if the spinal cord is found on the inside and is damaged, it can cause paraplegia. means that we have to be extremely sensitive so as not to cause irreversible sequelae in the patient».

This is where 7D technology comes into play. For the surgical correction of scoliosis with navigation, a CT scan is performed before the patient’s intervention. Based on this test, 7D technology performs a virtual reconstruction of the patient’s spine, showing the exact orientation in which pedicle screws should be inserted after the surgeon has marked three reference points. «The navigator acts as a GPS, guiding the surgeon for precise screw placement.Dr. Explains Farrington.

In this way, the 7D system not only provides safety for both the patient and the surgeon, it minimizes the risks of the surgery by showing the exact path that the pedicle screw should follow, but also prevents the patient from being exposed to ionizing radiation during the surgery. especially important in pediatric patients.

By American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), 2 to 3 percent of children and adolescents are affected by scoliosis.

this Spanish Pediatric Association has published studies proving the existence of this disease among adolescents in certain areas, with figures much higher than 10 percent.

For this reason, and beyond science fiction, this application of 7D technology, which is currently offered in our country, solves one of the biggest disadvantages of traditional navigation systems and allows surgeons to perform spine surgeries faster, more efficiently, profitably and without radiation, and the horizon of hope for many scoliosis patients becomes more meaningful every day. .