Englewood Health Introduces Robot-Assisted Spine Surgery with GPS-like Precision to New Jersey

“This technology takes us to the next era of spine surgery,” says Kevin Yao, MD, chief of neurosurgery at Englewood Health. “It facilitates more precise and more minimally invasive spine surgery, which will translate into shorter patient recoveries and better outcomes.”

Spine surgery is frequently used to stabilize vertebral bones and spinal joints and relieve pressure on the nerves in the spine. Traditionally, spine surgery is performed either percutaneously (minimally invasive surgery) or open and requires several types of imaging equipment for procedures. The new technology gives surgeons an all-in-one imaging capability allowing enhanced visualization of the patient’s anatomy. The Excelsius Ecosystem (Globus Medical) combines the Excelsius3D™ imaging system and the ExcelsiusGPS® robotic navigation platform to provide surgeons with a comprehensive intraoperative image-guided robotic surgery tool.

At Englewood Health, spinal procedures such as lumbar or thoracic fusion will now be possible with more minimally invasive, highly precise techniques. Patients with spine conditions such as degenerative disc disease, fractures, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and spinal tumors will benefit from newly enhanced procedures made possible by robotic navigation technology. The application of this technology is expected to expand for use in other spine procedures.

To be successful, spinal surgery requires highly accurate placement of surgical hardware used to hold vertebrae. The ExcelsiusGPS generates real-time information before and during the procedure, allowing surgeons to use robotic navigation to place screws and rods with a high-level of precision anywhere from the cervical to the sacroiliac spinal regions.

“Robot-assisted navigation can also help increase predictability of outcomes,” says Asit K. Shah, MD, PhD, chief of orthopedic surgery at Englewood Health. “It is like a GPS for the spine, which gives surgeons a very precise way to choose exactly where to place surgical hardware, such as metal screws.”

Dr. Yao adds, “Many spine surgeries that traditionally required large incisions can now be performed through slit-like openings. This is beneficial for patients, allowing them to mobilize more comfortably and sooner.”