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Shown using the SpineAssist device are neurosurgeons David Poulad, MD,
(left)
and Sanford Fineman, MD, who performed New Jersey's first spinal fusion surgery
using miniaturized robotic technology at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth.
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Trinitas Regional Medical Center scrub nurse Josie Cuison,
RN (left), assists Drs. Poulad and Fineman
in the historic case at Trinitas. Annie Cantuba, RN, served as circulating nurse
during the surgery.
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TWO TRINITAS SURGEONS PERFORM SPINAL FUSION SURGERY USING ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY
Hospital the site of the first such surgery in New Jersey
David Poulad, MD, and Sanford Fineman, MD, this week performed New Jersey's first spinal fusion surgery using miniaturized robotic technology at Trinitas Hospital. Trinitas is also the sixth hospital in the United States to feature this surgical option, which uses advanced software and a mobile robotic device to guide the surgeon in the precise placement of surgical screws in the spine.
The SpineAssist by Mazor Surgical Technologies allows the surgeon to view the patient's spine in three dimensions and then select the best placement for the screws prior to surgery. The surgeon then imports the pre-operative plan into the SpineAssist computer workstation. On the day of surgery, the computer compares the plan with two fluoroscopic images taken of the patient in the operating room, and then automatically positions a miniature guidance system over the pre-selected location of the first screw. Capable of sliding over the length of the spine, the guidance module pinpoints the placement of each screw.
Surgeons can use the SpineAssist device to treat a variety of spinal conditions including injuries, degenerative disc disease, curvature of the spine, and other deformities. Surgeries can be performed either as traditional open procedures or by utilizing a minimally-invasive approach.
"The benefits to the patient are many," explained Dr. Poulad. "Using this technology in the operating room results in greater precision in screw placement, which means speedier, more efficient surgery. There is less trauma to the patient, who can typically go home within a single day, and not three days which we experienced with the standard procedure," he said, adding, "Our ability to plan the surgery beforehand results in less use of flourscopic imaging during the procedure, which means lower radiation exposure to the patient and the operating room staff."
"In short, this technique gives the surgeon more options in spinal surgery with greater safety for the patient."
In offering this option, Trinitas Hospital joins such prestigious facilities as the Hospital For Special Surgery in Manhattan, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Texas Back Institute - one of the largest freestanding spine specialty clinics in the United States.
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Posted: July 13, 2006
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