Seeing from a new angle: design of a sideways-looking fiber-optic probe to advance spine surgery

Our research highlights the potential of Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) in detecting cortical breaches during pedicle screw placement. We propose a sideways-looking fiber-optic probe, integrating diffuse light emission with both forward and sideways light collection. Experiments on an optical tissue phantom validate the probe's potential to distinguish bone tissues and provide real-time guidance for spine surgery. Our findings prove that DRS with diffuse emission can detect perpendicular breaches, and demonstrate how the integration of a 45° slanted fiber coated with gold enables parallel breach detection, advancing spine surgery by allowing for accurate pedicle screw placement.