A system developed in Israel called "PathKeeper" helped the surgeons at Hadassah Ein Kerem to remove a dangerous cancerous tumor in the boy's spine - in just four hours. After the surgery, the boy recovered quickly and was released - straight to his brother's Bar Mitzvah celebration
The size of a ping pong ball: A tumor on the back of a 16-year-old boy from Jerusalem, who had been suffering for a long time from pain, was completely removed thanks to a new technological system that was recently introduced for use in the operating rooms at Hadassah.
For two months, the 16-year-old Jerusalem boy suffered from moderate pain in his lower back. After the pediatrician noticed that the boy's back pain was not going away, he referred him to an orthopedist who was concerned about pressure on the nerve and sent him for a CT scan. The tests found on the boy's back a pre-cancerous, very aggressive tumor, the size of a significant ping pong ball that blocked the spinal canal and put him at risk of paralysis. Later, the boy was taken to the Hadassah Ein-Karem Hospital, where he had the malignant growth removed using an innovative technology developed by Blue-White.
Prevent damage to the spinal nerves
"The only way to get rid of such a tumor is to remove it in its entirety, in a complex and lengthy operation," describes Professor Josh Schroeder, director of the spinal surgery unit at Hadassah. "This is a very complicated operation, and like all back operations there is a certain chance of injury to the patient. In addition, sometimes cancer cells are hidden in the tumor which cannot be known before the operation. The main challenge we faced was to maintain absolute precision during the operation, to prevent damage to the boy's spinal nerves, which could lead to paralysis.'
Based on this understanding, the team in the operating room decided to introduce the new "PathKeeper" system into the picture. This is a navigation system adapted to spine surgeries, which enables maximum precision of the surgeons in the operating room. This, through the use of a 3D camera that is placed on a laser and independently monitors all parts of the patient's back. This is an innovative system, the fruit of Israeli development by Professor Schroeder and his partner Erez Lampert, an expert in the field of 3D medical imaging and with extensive experience in research and development.
The advanced system, which was only recently approved by the FDA (American Food and Drug Administration) and by the Israeli Ministry of Health, significantly minimizes the risks in procedures related to the spine, which often require complicated and lengthy surgical intervention. Besides the critical accuracy in these surgeries, the system practically eliminates the need for radiation-based imaging, and allows the surgeon in the operating room to see at any given moment where the surgical tools are in relation to the spine and nerves, all with the goal of avoiding the need for radiation-based imaging.
"We used an optical navigation system designed for spine surgery, which uses a unique 3D camera placed on a laser and independently monitors all parts of the back and spinal vertebrae," describes Professor Schroeder. "The images we received are processed using a dedicated camera and application, and we combined them with early CT scans of the patient. Thus, we were able to operate with maximum precision in the surgery itself.'
In record time
After four hours on the operating table, the team in the operating room managed to remove the tumor from the boy's back intact. "In light of the use of advanced technology, we were able to perform an operation that could have been much more complex, with maximum safety," testifies Schroeder. "These innovative systems are not a 'status symbol' - they allow us, the surgeons, to actually provide more tailored and accurate treatment and achieve optimal results for patients."
After the surgery, the boy recovered successfully when already in the recovery department he was observed to return relatively quickly to himself. He was released from the hospital a few days later, resting and recovering quickly. The boy's father told of the shock and the relief, finally, that accompanied the family: "The experience at the hospital was very good, my son is recovering nicely. Thanks to the innovative technology, his recovery was quick and he was also able to be released just in time for his brother's Bar Mitzvah celebration which took place shortly after.'
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