The Q Guidance System is an image-based planning and intra-operative guidance system developed by Stryker, a medical technology company based in the US, to support spine and cranial surgery procedures.
The Q Guidance System received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve the surgical spine planning and navigation capability of surgeons, in June 2022.
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The Q Guidance System was launched together with Spine Guidance Software to allow open or percutaneous computer-assisted surgery in September 2022. The launch made Spine Guidance Software the first spine navigation software to receive FDA clearance for use with paediatric patients aged 13 and above.
The system received FDA 510(k) clearance for Cranial Guidance Software for cranial applications in February 2023.
Q Guidance System details and features
The Q Guidance System is an advanced surgical planning and navigation platform powered by proprietary active technology and non-invasive patient tracker, SpineMask. It features a fourth-generation, state-of-the-art FP8000 camera, offering high speeds and multiple optical tracking options, including full-spectrum active and passive hybrid optical tracking.
The system consists of two personal computers (PCs) to track the patient data independently, and two touch screen monitors (big touch monitor and small touch monitor) to control the entire sterile field. Other components of the Q Guidance System include a camera arm, a monitor arm, a drawer with mouse and keyboard, a connector panel (IO-panel), a storage drawer, a computer system, a power box for power supply, and castors with brakes and cable pushers.
The system features gesture recognition and broad compatibility with different types of image sets. It can auto-register and seamlessly integrate with imaging devices such as Airo TruCT, a mobile intraoperative CT imaging system, and Ziehm RFD 3D C-arm.
SpineMask tracker details
SpineMask equipment uses SpineMap 3D Navigation software to offer an enhanced operating room experience through tailored workflows. SpineMask senses the movement of the tracker during surgery, using Stryker’s active tracking technology, and automatically aligns to maintain accuracy throughout the procedure.
It is compatible with a wide variety of imaging devices used in the operating room, and allows automatic, intra-operative mask registration, making it easy to synchronise an imaging device with the surgical workflow.
Using the SpineMask tracker together with the SpineMap 3D 3.0 software and Stryker’s NAV3i® navigation platform offers a complete solution for spine navigation procedures.
Spine Guidance Software
Spine Guidance Software is a spinal surgery planning and navigation software powered by the Q Guidance System.
Spine Guidance Software has fully redesigned applications, semi-automatic and automatic processing features, and gesture recognition capability. It is compatible with a variety of image sets and legacy active tracking instruments. It offers smart segmentation with automatic screw suggestions tailored to the patient.
It provides three-dimensional visualisations and multiple window options for users to customise their surgical views based on their region of interest. It offers soft tissue stripping for enhanced visualisation, reconstructed three-dimensional X-ray views, dedicated K-wire visualisation to support percutaneous screw placement, and integration with multiple spine fixation systems.
The Q Guidance System, together with Spine Guidance Software, offers surgeons improved image-processing capability and workflow optimisation, and helps them to minimise the time taken in the operating room for complex clinical decisions.
Cranial Guidance Software
Cranial Guidance Software, along with Stryker’s Q Guidance System, offers improved imaging and guidance capabilities to surgeons for cranial navigation and surgeries.
It is compatible with a wide range of instruments and accessories. It tracks navigated instruments, and shows their position and orientation in patient images.
The software includes automatic, algorithmic processing and comprehensive guidance data to improve the confidence of surgeons and their surgical ability.
The dedicated workflow offered by the software allows proper positioning of the precision targeting system, the approach for which can be planned before surgery for brain biopsies.
