Singapore hospitals tap on AI to boost accuracy and recovery in spinal surgeries

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s major public hospitals have begun integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into complex spinal surgeries, a move that doctors say has sharply improved surgical outcomes and patient recovery. Since adopting the technology, complications from such procedures have fallen from about 30% to less than 10%, while accuracy in spinal corrections has significantly increased.

Degenerative spinal disease affects roughly one in five elderly people in Singapore. In more severe cases, patients develop scoliosis that compresses nerves and results in chronic, debilitating pain. Traditional corrective surgery is often intricate and unpredictable, as placing screws at the right depth and angle can be particularly challenging.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has turned to AI and is using advanced software; the hospital now creates a personalised 3D spinal model for each patient. The technology simulates various correction methods, predicts potential risks, and helps surgeons determine the optimal position and angle for every screw before entering the operating theatre. According to the hospital, the accuracy of preoperative planning can reach as high as 99%.

Since TTSH began using the system in 2021, it has been deployed in 250 spinal surgeries and reported that surgeries have become more predictable, patient recovery has improved, and hospital stays have shortened as a result of fewer complications.

On top of improving surgical precision, the 3D models have also helped patients better understand the nature of their spinal conditions and the steps involved in their operations. Surgeons say this has boosted patients’ confidence and cooperation throughout the treatment process.

Encouraged by the results, TTSH plans to expand the use of AI-assisted planning to other orthopaedic procedures in the coming years.