Exolumen (Anatomy Projector)

When a surgeon is performing a surgery, there are only three methods available to bring medical imaging data into the operating room. 1) Displayed on a separate screen, 2) Rendered on glasses/headsets in front of their eyes (virtual or augmented reality) and 3) Projected onto the patient. The Anatomy Projector is the fundamental third way, and this field is patented by Radboudumc.

This innovation is based on a clinical use-case: breast reconstruction with patient’s own tissue. In a DIEP flap breast reconstruction fat and skin from the abdomen is transferred to the thorax, where it is shaped into a breast; (1.000 per year in NL, 50.000 worldwide). This difficult procedure relies on very small blood vessels (1 mm, randomly distributed, different in each patient). Accidental severance of these blood vessel leads to flap failure. Current surgical planning consists of scrolling through CT scans, listening to abdominal blood flow and surgeon experience. This is time-consuming and cumbersome.

We created a method of projecting a surgical planning onto the patient. This way the surgeon spends less time on preparation (20 min) and performs surgeries faster (19 min). The prototype is in continuous use in Radboudumc (400+ surgeries).

The patented device is capable of accurately displaying anatomical information (pre-recorded or real-time) via means of projection onto and into the body of the patient. Independent of movement of the device or patient, the projection is always aligned on the exact anatomical location. Projected augmented reality allows health care professionals to perform procedures faster, cheaper, safer and easier.

The revenue model consists of initial sales of the Anatomy Projector (€40k each), subscription fees per module (fluorescence and thermography; €500 p/m), service subscription (€100 p/m), and surgical planning service (€200 each). An investment of €2.5M is required to reach the market for R&D, from prototype to production device, and regulatory trajectory up to MDR and later FDA. We produce five units for a multi-center study with our KOL’s, start prototype validation to certify for CE class 2B device and go to the market by 2025. Launching countries are the Benelux, UK and Sweden for which production and sales efforts are required. Integrations, licensing, or acquisition could be with med-tech companies such as Medtronic, Stryker, Brainlab, Baxter or Philips.