Neurosurgeon invents laser-guided spine localizer
The Laser-Guided Spine Localizer is the latest innovation in minimally invasive spinal surgery. The localizer is the invention of Dr. Peyman Pakzaban, M.D., a neurosurgeon affiliated with Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena, Texas.
The goal of minimally invasive spinal surgery is to make the smallest incision possible, avoiding major tissue dissection and trauma for the patient. The smaller the incision, the less likely there is to be infection and complications. The minimally invasive approach allows patients to recover from surgery within weeks instead of months, and with less pain.
The issue for neurosurgeons is determining where to make the incision to reach the affected area of the spine. In the past, surgeons palpated the bony protruberances on the patient’s back in order to make an educated “guess” as to the proper location for the incision. Some surgeons place a metal instrument next to the patient’s side or actually insert a needle into the surface of the back and take X-Rays of the area. But these methods are inexact and often result in an improperly placed incision, forcing the surgeon to lengthen the incision and due further dissection of tissues.
“What the Laser-Guided Spine Localizer does is create a virtual needle at the intersection of two planes using lasers and small, retractable cables draped on either side of the patient. It gives us a three dimensional view of the patient’s body during x-ray and because it is non-invasive, we can move the localizer up and down the spine until we find the exact location of the affected area,” says Dr. Peyman Pakzaban.
Dr. Pakzaban has an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) as well as his medical degree from Harvard University. His patent-pending idea came to him while hanging pictures in his home using a laser guided level.
Dr. Pakzaban determined he could use the same principles to help guide his incisions in spinal surgery. He purchased the necessary materials to make the prototype of the Localizer from a local hardware store. His resulting study on 76 patients proved successful and is published in the February, 2009 publication of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.
“We are very excited to be able to offer this innovative technology at Bayshore Medical Center,” says Jeff Holland, CEO. “This is an important step in minimally invasive surgical protocol, enabling us to offer life-changing surgical procedures with less risk to the patient. Patients, who may have avoided spinal surgery before, may now consider the possibilities of an improved life-style through surgery.”
Since the study, the Localizer is standard protocol for every patient who undergoes spinal surgery at Bayshore Medical Center. Dr. Pakzaban indicates that the Localizer should be developed by the end of this year and available to other neurosurgeons and hospitals world-wide.
