Recently, London Bridge Hospital announced that it will be the first Hospital in the UK to offer ExcelsiusGPS® Robotic Navigation System to patients who need spinal surgery.
The robot is the first of its kind to be available within the UK. This new technology raises the bar of minimally invasive surgery capabilities to provide; improved accuracy, reduced procedure times, significantly shorter recovery periods for patients, and lower complication rates.
Working with a group of world-renowned adult and paediatric consultant orthopaedic surgeons, including Khai Lam, London Bridge Hospital has acquired the ExcelsiusGPS® Robotic Navigation System, invented by Globus Medical. This ensures that patients living with chronic back pain and other spinal problems – such as slipped disc, fractures, tumours, scoliosis, kyphosis, and those needing revision of spinal surgery – have access to the latest, and most effective techniques in spinal surgery.
The ExcelsiusGPS® Robotic Navigation System offers a major advancement in spinal surgery, by allowing surgeons to capture images of the spine in 3D and with that data, 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, providing successful screw placement at a rate of 99 per cent [1] (up from 90 per cent without navigation and 95 per cent with navigation). The improved precision also cuts down on procedure times, reduces exposure to radiation [2] and means shorter recovery periods, earlier hospital discharge and accelerated return to work and sports for patients.
Khai Lam, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, said: “I am the UK’s first surgeon to be trained on the new robot and I’m very proud to be leading the UK launch of this pioneering robotic navigation system at London Bridge Hospital, alongside my theatre colleagues.
“This cutting-edge system is designed to assist in precise screw placement for a variety of different surgical approaches by eliminating human error and will therefore 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 spinal disorders.
“By combining the benefits of navigation, robotics and the expertise of surgeons, this robot has the ability to revolutionise the way we approach spinal surgery and change lives.”
References:
- ‘Robotic-assisted navigated minimally invasive pedicle screw placement in the first 100 cases at a single institution.’ 23 April 2019.
- ‘Assessment of Surgical Procedural Time, Pedicle Screw Accuracy, and Clinician Radiation Exposure of a Novel Robotic Navigation System Compared With Conventional Open and Percutaneous Freehand Techniques: A Cadaveric Investigation’. September 24, 2019.
