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Home | LBO News | Hospital launches new robotic procedure for treatment of spinal conditions

Hospital launches new robotic procedure for treatment of spinal conditions

Hospital launches new robotic procedure for treatment of spinal conditions

Today, London Bridge Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK, has announced that it will be the first Hospital in the UK to offer the revolutionary ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Spine Navigation System to patients who need spinal surgery. The robot is the first of its kind to be available within the UK, offering improved accuracy, quicker procedure times, and significantly shorter recovery periods for patients.

After the common cold, lower back pain is the second most common ailment that affects people. It is estimated that up to eight in every ten people in the UK are affected by back pain at some point in their lifetime. Many people continue to experience chronic and long-lasting symptoms, which can be debilitating. If back pain is progressive and unresponsive to medicine-based treatments, then spinal surgery using screws may be recommended. 

Under the leadership of world-renowned Consultant Adult and Paediatric Orthopaedic Spinal Surgeon, Mr Khai Lam at London Bridge Hospital, has taken huge strides to help acquire the ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Spine Navigation System, fuelled by Globus Medical, to ensure that patients living with chronic back pain and many other spinal problems – such as slipped disc, fractures, tumours, scoliosis, kyphosis, revision spinal surgery – have access to the state of the art surgical procedure in spinal surgery.

Spinal surgery, also known as ‘spinal fusion’, is often performed to relieve pain affecting the spinal column, which occurs when the mobile disc cartilage between two vertebrae wears out – by connecting the affected vertebrae thereby eliminating any abnormal painful movement between them.

There are many types of spinal fusion. However, each technique requires a surgeon to place bone (or a bonelike material) between two spinal vertebrae and hold it in place with screws, so they can heal in one solid unit. Traditionally, the surgery is guided by x-ray imagery.

The novel ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Spine Navigation System offers a major advancement in spinal surgery, by allowing surgeons to capture images of the spine in 3D and pinpoint exactly the right depth and angle for predetermined screw dimensions that are to be inserted into the vertebra.

It is the first technology to combine a rigid robotic arm and full navigation capabilities for precise trajectory alignment, which greatly improves the accuracy of the surgery and cuts down on procedure times. The improved precision also means shorter recovery periods for patients, earlier hospital discharge and accelerated return back to work and sports.

The first patient in the UK to undergo spinal surgery guided by the ExcelsiusGPS Robotic Navigation System will take place at London Bridge Hospital on 11th Nov 2019.

Mr Khai Lam, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, said:

“I am the world’s first surgeon to be trained on the ExcelciusGPS Robotic Navigation Spine System. I am very proud to be leading the first UK launch of the new ExcelsiusGPS robotic system at London Bridge Hospital, alongside my specialist team.”

“This cutting-edge robotic system is designed to assist in precise screw placement by eliminating human error, and therefore will optimise patient care in those undergoing spinal surgery. Many of these procedures will include screw placements into the posterior cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine, and sacroiliac joint, when used to treat a variety of spinal disorders.”

“By combining the benefits of navigation and robotics with our highly trained surgical experts, this robot can revolutionise the way we approach spinal surgery and change peoples lives for the better in the process.”

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