Professor Lu Shaoying’s team from the Department of Vascular Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, recently announced a significant technological breakthrough. The team has developed an intelligent navigation software, which has been applied in complex abdominal aortic aneurysm surgeries, and it is expected to address numerous challenges associated with traditional interventional procedures.
Vascular interventional surgery is a common technique used to treat cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases. However, conventional surgical methods carry various risks. For example, surgical instruments may damage blood vessels, leading to ischemia in organs or limbs; the extensive use of contrast agents can trigger heart failure or impair renal function; and radiation exposure during the procedure may pose health hazards to both patients and medical staff.
To address these issues, Professor Lu Shaoying’s team has developed this AI-based software. The software precisely identifies vascular contours during surgery, with an accuracy of 0.1 millimeters, effectively equipping surgeons with a high-definition camera for their procedures. Even when the patient’s position changes, the software can quickly update images within 3 to 5 seconds to ensure the smooth progress of the operation. Moreover, the software is compatible with various brands of surgical equipment without requiring costly hardware upgrades, significantly reducing operational costs.
The team conducted a retrospective study on 52 clinical cases using the system, and the results confirmed that the system reduced emergency surgery time by 35%, improved the success rate for complex cases such as chronic vascular occlusion by 15%, decreased radiation exposure by 40%, and saved 60% of contrast agent per procedure.
Professor Lu Shaoyin stated, “Just as satellite navigation has transformed the way we travel, this technology is set to revolutionize vascular interventional surgery.” Currently, the team is preparing for a nationwide multicenter clinical trial and collaborating with companies to advance the product’s commercialization.
