The company announced these enhancements to its AiBLE smart ecosystem at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 39th Annual Meeting in Chicago. It designed AiBLE, an ecosystem of navigation, robotics, data and AI imaging, software and implants to enable more predictable outcomes in spine and cranial procedures.
In line with these enhancements, the company inked a partnership with Siemens Healthineers on this front. They aim to explore opportunities to further expand access to advanced pre- and post-operative imaging technologies for spine care.
“Partnering with Siemens Healthineers advances our commitment to reduce variability and improve outcomes for spinal patients,” said Skip Kiil, president of Medtronic Cranial & Spinal Technologies. “We are thrilled with the prospect of working with the industry leader in imaging and to leverage the depth of imaging experience and expertise, commercial footprint, and shared commitment to data science to advance our AiBLE strategy and shared pursuit of better patient outcomes.”
More on the Medtronic partnership with Siemens Healthineers
The two companies partnered to comarket the Siemens Healthineers Multitom Rax imaging system. They want to integrate it into the AiBLE ecosystem for spine surgery.
Medtronic said the companies also anticipate collaborating across development, marketing and commercial activities.
Multitom Rax offers a combination of imaging technologies offering use across musculoskeletal conditions, including in spinal patients. It features standing, weight-bearing imaging, cone-beam CT and supine X-ray capabilities.
Medtronic said the partnership offers an evolution for the AiBLE ecosystem that integrates connected care and predictive technology to advance surgery.
“We are excited about the prospect of partnering with Medtronic to bring our solution to spine centers and empower spine surgeons and neurosurgeons to be more precise in the operating room,” said Verena Schoen, EVP, X-ray products at Siemens Healthineers. “Multitom Rax delivers geometrically accurate images which allows precise measurements of the patient’s vertebrae. Especially optimized for spine imaging, it not only contributes to faster diagnosis and treatment planning, but also to surgical execution and post-surgical control.”
More about the new advancements to the AiBLE ecosystem
New advancements for AiBLE include new O-arm software, updates for the UNiD adaptive spine intelligence (ASI) service, new software for the Mazor robotic guidance system and new implant innovation with the ModuLeX system.
The O-arm 4.3 software introduces advanced navigation volumes, dose reduction and enhanced image confirmation. Medtronic says the launch means it now offers the industry’s longest 3D scan length for cone-beam CT images. O-arm, an intraoperative imager that uses AI, provides 70% less radiation dose compared to the standard protocol.
Medtronic’s UNiD ASI platform uses AI and predictive models to help surgeons deliver patient-specific plans and implants. It now includes MRI Vision, which integrates with CoLumbo from Smart Soft Healthcare. This new tool employs computer vision to automatically analyze lumbar MRIs. It segments, labels and measures key aspects related to common pathologies.
The updates to Mazor make it the first and only spinal robotic system integrating AI, bone cutting and graft delivery, the company says. Mazor enables comprehensive preoperative and intraoperative planning beyond screw placement. It now includes complete construct design with screws, rods, interbodies and bone removal.
Finally, Medtronic added its ModuLeX spinal system that offers increased visualization of the surgical area while allowing the operative flexibility to create an optimized construct for the patient.
