Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach is showcasing state-of-the art equipment at its two 820-square-foot operating rooms that recently opened.

The 3D Surgical Theater, which was designed by former Israeli fighter pilots, takes the image of the patient’s brain and recreates a 3D model so neurosurgeons can “fly” through a patient’s brain to get a better look at tumors, nerves, blood vessels and tissue prior to surgery.

Other equipment includes an 84-inch touchscreen system known as the CollaboratOR that displays information from a variety of sources, including X-rays, MRIs and videos from the 3D Surgical Theater. The system permits surgeons, nurses and surgical assistants to simultaneously view, monitor and analyze the information.

Hoag is the only hospital in the nation with the CollaboratOR, according to Dr. Burak Ozgur, a neurosurgeon and chief of service for the neurosurgical spine program, and Dr. Robert Louis, neurosurgeon and program adviser of the skull base and pituitary tumor program. The two spearheaded Hoag’s initiative to bring in these technologies.

Another addition is called the “7D Surgical System” for spinal procedures. The device uses the same technology found in self-driving cars to provide what the doctors say is an unprecedented level of surgical navigation for radiation-free placement of spinal implants.

“This tool still allows the surgeon to be in complete control, but it enhances accuracy and speed during surgery,” Ozgur said.

“When you work with spine, it’s critically important to be precise because the placement of the screws, even off a few millimeters, could damage the spinal cord or hit a nerve,” he said.

A typical brain or spine surgery involves eight to 10 people.

“It’s really like an orchestra trying to make beautiful music,” Ozgur said.

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