Surgical Planning Associates receives FDA clearance for its HipInsight Augmented Reality system for joint arthroplasty

In Augmented Reality News 

February 11, 2021 – Surgical Planning Associates (SPA) has recently announced the introduction of its HipInsight augmented reality (AR) intra-operative guidance system for joint arthroplasty (a surgical procedure to restore the function of a joint). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided SPA with 501(k) clearance on January 28, 2021.

Since receiving clearance, Dr. Stephen B. Murphy, founder of SPA, performed the first total hip arthroplasty using the HipInsight system last week at North Atlantic Surgery Suites in Salem, New Hampshire, US.

“Traditional navigation systems, robotics and interoperative imaging provide information on flat screens outside the surgeon’s view of the patient, leaving the process disjointed and awkward,” Dr. Murphy said. “The HipInsight system enables surgeons to stay focused on the patient, projecting holograms on AR glasses that effectively give them ‘x-ray vision,’ so that surgeons can see what they need to see, when they need to see it, right inside the patient’s body.”

According to SPA, its HipInsight system is the first FDA-cleared surgical guidance platform to be contained entirely within a head-mounted device, specifically the Microsoft HoloLens 2.  Combining cloud-based preoperative planning and virtual interoperative guidance, the platform enables surgeons to be more precise during operations, which can help increase the likelihood of successful outcomes.

“It’s amazing to be able to actually see the entire bony anatomy, implants and instruments inside the patient while you’re operating,” said Dr. Daniel Ward of Longwood Orthopedic Associates, who assisted Dr. Murphy with the inaugural surgery. “This is the kind of technology surgeons have been striving for – when you try it for the first time, it’s just a mind-blowing experience.”

“What’s remarkable about the HipInsight system is how natural it feels,” said Dr. Grayson Connors of Excel Orthopaedics, who also assisted Dr. Murphy during the first surgery. “It’s how you would operate if you actually had x-ray vision – you can see exactly what you need to do at all times, even if the patient shifts position on the table. This is a game-changer.”

For more information on the HipInsight system, please click here.

Image credit: Surgical Planning Associates

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.