The premier medical institute All India Institute of Medical Sciences has acquired O-arm imaging machine. “We have acquired an O-arm machine for spinal injury surgery. This machine helps minimise the risk and one can see image of any body part in real time and with this the chances of going wrong become negligible,” medical superintendent Prof. M.C. Mishra said.
The O-arm system assists spine specialists in spinal surgeries. It is a non-invasive, painless, open air scanner with an O-shaped arm that surrounds the body while one lies on a table. The arm moves down the body to provide real time, 3-D image as well as multi-plane, 2D and fluoroscopic video X-ray imaging.
The machine worth Rs 4 crores reduces the emission of harmful radiation. During a six-hour surgery, over 150 X-rays and CT scans are done. For the patient its a matter of a day, but the doctors, radiologists go through it every day and their life gets endangered with continuous exposure.
“The O-arm emits radiation only once, at the time of initialising. This way the doctors are safe and the benefits are multiple,” neurosurgeon Dr Deepak Aggrawal said.
Using these images spine specialists can view patients’ anatomy in the operative position, monitor the status of the surgery, verify surgical changes before the patient leaves the surgical suite. As a result, the surgeries are less invasive, recovery time is faster and outcome is improved.
“With the help of an O-arm, a trainee doctor can achieve the result of a specialist because the margin of risk gets minimised,” Dr Aggrawal said.
The AIIMS gets over 2,000 cases of injuries every year, hence the machine is of great use to the institution.