An anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) was performed using the da Vinci robotic approach with John P. Sfakianos, MD, and Peter Wiklund, MD, PhD, and disc removal and interbody cage placement was performed through a port by Dr. Steinberger, followed by percutaneous posterior instrumented fusion with the Globus ExcelsiusGPS® robot. Dr. Sfakianos is Assistant Professor of Urology, and Dr. Wiklund is Professor of Urology.
“This is truly the first of its kind—we are using the latest technology to expand robotic applications in spine surgery, thus increasing efficiency and precision," Dr. Steinberger says.
The patient was a 65-year-old male who presented with several months of incapacitating back pain and left greater than right lower extremity radiculopathy. His pain radiated from the buttocks and down the posterior lateral legs to the toes. He was found to have bilateral fractures at L5 and
grade 1 spondylolisthesis at L5/S1 that worsened on standing upright (implying worsening with loading and instability).
Results: The patient did well postoperatively with improvement of back and leg pain at six-month follow-up. Imaging confirmed excellent placement of interbody cage and pedicle screws. This allowed the team to conclude that fully robotic anterior and posterior surgery for the lumbar spine may be safe, feasible, accurate, and efficacious.
To learn more, watch a video presentation of the case narrated by Dr. Steinberger.
Learn the details about a groundbreaking medical achievement as a team of skilled surgeons from Mount Sinai, led by Dr. Jeremy Steinberger, a renowned spine neurosurgeon, explains the future of spinal surgery as they performed the very first fully robotic anterior and posterior spinal fusion surgery.