A UB medical student and professor collaborated to invent a
technology that today is used worldwide to increase surgical
accuracy while reducing radiation exposure in the operating
room.
In years past, accurate percutaneous placement of rods and
screws in bone was a common problem for orthopedic surgeons, as was
the risk of excessive radiation exposure to patient and surgeon
during such image-guided procedures.
Even with multiple X-ray images, the methodology involved a
trial-and-error approach with no guarantee of precision. Repeated
attempts to place screws accurately resulted in a myriad of
potential complications for the patient, including increased risk
of postoperative secondary fracture and the need for additional
operations.
The solution to this set of problems was found at the point of a
laser beam by Michael K. Landi, MD, while he was a medical student
at UB in the early 1990s, and Robert Lifeso, MD, clinical professor
of orthopaedics.
Their invention, called the DRTS™ Platform (Dual Radiation
Targeting System), is a laser targeting system for fluoroscopically
guided procedures. It allows the surgeon to use a fluoroscope to
visualize and locate a deep structure, turn off the X-ray
radiation, and still have accurate guidance and position
information to complete the procedure. In addition to increasing
surgical accuracy, the system significantly reduces time in the
operating room, as well as radiation exposure for operating room
personnel and patients.
Although designed originally for use in the orthopedic field, the
innovative system has broad applications across many other
specialties, including oncology and neurology. For example, it is
ideal for performing minimally invasive deep-tissue biopsies done
on breasts, livers or spleens. The system also helps reduce the
patient’s discomfort, says Landi, “because you can hit
the target on your first attempt without having to manipulate the
needle under fluroroscopy, something that can be especially painful
during bone or vertebral biopsies.”
The DRTS™ Platform received Food and Drug Administration
approval in September 1997. Today it is manufactured by MINRAD
International, Inc. in Orchard Park, New York, and distributed
worldwide under the brand name MINRAD Targeting System.
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