Healthcare Directory

22 | 2014-2015 Medical & Dental Directory Haworth has become so adept with the Stryker system that he is a nationally recognized expert. Physicians from all over the U.S. and abroad have come to him to learn about the cutting-edge technology. C harles haWorth, m.d., Cape Fear Valley's new Director of Neurosurgery, is a firm believer in the strategy. "You can make a big incision and take all the muscles down," he said, "or you can make a smaller incision that's less painful, bleeds less and has less chance of infection." Dr. Haworth has spent the past 16 years helping develop com- puter navigation soware that does just that. e Stryker Surgical Navigation System was originally developed as spinal navigation technology, but is finding other uses in the operating room. e system combines complex soware and real-time imaging technology to map the spine area before surgery, similar to how a GPS unit would map out a travel route. A pencil-like device makes the mapping almost easy. e surgeon places the pointer device on various spots on the skin, along the spine. to create a three-dimensional snapshot of the vertebrae. e data is then sent to a computer to visually recre- ate the spine in images on a monitor that can be analyzed more easily. e Stryker soware then compares the real-time images to previous CT scans of the spine to help create a surgery plan. e process can help determine incision locations, types of surgical tools or hardware needed, and even how long the surgery might last. "It's like virtual reality," Dr. Haworth said. "You can plan out everything, even before you do it." Precision is important when operating on something as deli- cate and complex as the human spine. Metal screws could break, miss their target or accidentally strike a nearby nerve. Dr. Haworth has performed more than 1,200 spinal navigation cases since 1999. He has become so adept at the procedure that he is a nationally recognized expert for the Stryker system. Physi- cians from all over the U.S. and abroad have come to him to learn about the cutting-edge technology. Dr. HawortH neurosurgery By DoNNie Byers Millions of surgical procedures are performed each year in the U.S. with most requiring some sort of recovery period. So, it would make sense to make surgery as minimally invasive as possible to shorten the healing process. "StrykS" BaCk

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