The Future of Spine Care:

6 Benefits of Advanced Robotic Spine Surgery

Robotic Spine Surgery Kimberly Brooke Ashayeri, MD at Atlantic Brain and Spine

Dr. Kimberly Ashayeri is advancing spine surgery by pioneering the use of ExcelsiusGPS™, a revolutionary robotic navigation platform designed to enhance accuracy and safety in the operating room.

The future of spinal care is here, guided by cutting-edge robotic technology. Advances in robotic surgery are revolutionizing spine treatment, offering enhanced precision, faster recoveries, and better outcomes for patients.

Advanced robotic spine surgery involves a highly trained surgeon using a specialized robotic platform to assist in operations. It allows for personalized planning, accurate alignment, and real-time guidance to deliver safer, more effective outcomes for even the most complex cases.

Whether you’re facing degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, or another spinal condition, this innovative technology can help you get back to living the life you love with less pain and greater peace of mind.

Robotic Spine Surgery: A Minimally Invasive Steady Hand

Thanks to advances in technology, many patients in need of spine surgery can benefit from a minimally invasive approach. Unlike a traditional, open approach, minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is designed to reduce trauma by using smaller incisions and microscopic tools. It offers less pain, quicker recovery, and smaller scars compared to open surgery. However, MISS requires a highly skilled neurosurgeon to operate in small spaces near critical nerves.

Robotic spine surgery, also known as robot-assisted spine surgery, takes minimally invasive care to the next level. It provides the surgeon with a steady (robotic) hand that can carry out tasks with great precision – without getting tired. Advanced robotic spine surgery uses a highly innovative platform for continual three-dimensional imaging and robotic guidance to ensure the most accurate implant placement and alignment. This means smaller incisions, unparalleled precision, and faster recovery.

Before robotic surgery, your surgeon uses integrated imaging to create a detailed surgical roadmap tailored to your unique anatomy. The robotic arm then aligns to that trajectory to provide a pathway to your spine, ensuring precise placement of instruments and hardware through a stable channel. On-screen navigation allows the surgeon to see their tools as they operate.

Robotic spine surgery is often considered to be safer than conventional spine surgery because it increases the accuracy of screw placement. Seamless “collaboration” between the surgeon and the robotic platform minimizes risks and helps you recover faster with better long-term results.

6 Ways Advanced Robotic Spine Surgery Benefits Patients

Combining cutting-edge technology with the personalized approach of an experienced surgeon, robotic spine surgery offers significant advantages. Here are just a few of the ways robotic spine surgery can benefit you.

1. Personalized Treatment

Your spine is unique, and robotic systems ensure your care is, too. Using advanced imaging, your surgeon will create a detailed, three-dimensional operative plan tailored to your anatomy and condition.

The technology enables your surgeon to determine the best possible implants, safest placement, and optimal alignment, taking any complications you may have into careful consideration.

2. Improved Surgical Accuracy

Robotic systems provide millimeter precision when placing implants or screws, reducing the likelihood of complications or errors. The technology provides your surgeon real-time feedback, ensuring the highest accuracy during your procedure.

As a patient, this means less risk of revision surgeries and greater confidence in the stability and alignment of your spine.

3. Smaller Incisions for Minimal Scarring

Robotic systems enhance the use of MISS techniques, which require smaller incisions than traditional approaches. This reduces trauma to surrounding muscles and tissues, resulting in less pain and quicker healing.

Smaller incisions result in less noticeable scars, reducing the visible impact of your procedure after you heal.

4. Lower Risk of Complications

Robotic spine surgery is designed to maximize safety at every stage. The precision of robotic systems reduces the risk of complications, such as nerve damage, infections, blood loss, or implant misplacement.

Lowering these risk factors ensures you have a safer surgical experience, giving you and your loved ones greater peace of mind.

5. Faster Recovery with Less Pain

One of the most immediate benefits of robotic spine surgery is less postoperative pain. Because robotic precision minimizes disruption to the rest of your body, you’ll have less trauma and a more comfortable recovery.

This approach also accelerates healing, helping you get out of the hospital and back to normal activities more quickly.

6. Better Long-Term Outcomes

Robotic spine surgery ensures proper alignment and greater stability for your spine, leading to improved long-term results. Precise implant placement not only addresses your current condition but minimizes the risk of future issues, improving your overall spinal health.

Whether you’re undergoing a spinal fusion, scoliosis correction, or another procedure, the accuracy and effectiveness of robotic spine surgery allow you to live your daily life in comfort.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Robotic Spine Surgery?

Robotic spine surgery is especially beneficial for patients with complex conditions like:

It can also be a good option for patients needing revision surgeries from previous procedures or who have complications that rule out other surgical approaches.

Robotic spine surgery can be used for minimally invasive procedures or any other situation where accuracy is critical, such as:

  • Spinal fusion
  • Tumor resection
  • Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
  • Minimally invasive decompression surgery
  • Revision surgery

If you think you’d be a good candidate for robotic spine surgery, make an appointment with a neurosurgeon specializing in robotic systems. They’ll give you a thorough evaluation to help you understand how robotic surgery might help your condition.

During the consultation, ask about the surgeon’s experience, the technology they use, and what to expect during your experience. Robotic spine surgery has many benefits, but it’s important to carefully decide whether it’s the right option for you.

Comprehensive, Collaborative Care: Expert Neurosurgeon and Robot

When you choose robotic spine surgery, you’re not just relying on one expert – you’re benefitting from an advanced partnership between a highly skilled surgeon and cutting-edge technology. At Atlantic Brain and Spine (ABS), our highly trained neurosurgeons expertly use the ExcelsiusGPS® robot to provide you the best possible results.

The ExcelsiusGPS® robot is the world’s leading robotic navigation platform on the market offering a comprehensive approach to spine procedures. It combines multifunctional robotic navigation with versatile imaging and real-time feedback to provide patients with the least-invasive surgical options and best outcomes.

But while the robot provides unmatched precision, it’s your surgeon who brings the knowledge, judgment, and compassion to make the technology truly effective. That’s where collaboration between human and machine transforms your experience.

Dr. Kimberly Ashayeri is a leader in robotic spine surgery at ABS. One of the most experienced surgeons using the ExcelsiusGPS® in the country, she trained under the platform’s inventor and has developed novel techniques using the robot to perform complex procedures, including pioneering single-position anterior-posterior lumbar fusion surgery (SPLS).

Dr. Ashayeri’s unparalleled comfort and expertise using the ExcelsiusGPS® means she has the skills to treat patients other surgeons might disqualify, whether that’s due to age, complexity, or other complicating factors. Her passion for robotic surgery is only matched by her dedication to her patients, ensuring each and every one receives the personalized care they need to make a full recovery.

To learn more about robotic spine surgery and how it can benefit you, please contact us to schedule a consultation.