ST. LOUIS – “I feel like a brand-new person!” Michelle Kedney, 53, lived with back pain since she was 14, recently deciding it was time for surgery. The surgery was done at Mercy Hospital St. Louis with Medtronic’s Mazor X robotic spinal surgical platform.
The state-of-the-art Mazor technology, along with Mercy’s skilled neurosurgeons, promises advanced precision and efficiency in complex spine surgeries.
“I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis [narrowing of space around the spinal cord] in my teens. I did physical therapy over the years, it would get better for a bit but the pain would always return,” Kedney said. “I never thought about surgery until recently. I was referred to Dr. Holekamp who said I was a good candidate for this new procedure.”
Good candidates for the robotic spinal surgery are those who have a goal of being physically active.
“Michelle is young and healthy and wanted to stay active for her young children,” said Mercy neurosurgeon Dr. Terrence Holekamp. “Spinal surgery is tough, regardless of the type of surgery, so the best candidates for the Mazor are those with a strong motivation and physical activity goals.”
Working with imaging services prior to surgery, Dr. Holekamp and his team used pre-operative scans of Kedney’s spine to program a plan for using the Mazor’s robotic guidance for placing screws and performing the fusion. Given the spine’s critical role in the human body, where even millimeter differences can be significant, this advanced technology enables surgeries that were previously impossible.
“It’s hard to explain how different I feel now, but even immediately after surgery,” Kedney said. “The back pain was not there anymore. It’s been life changing.”
The value of a Mazor procedure is the minimal degree of tissue disruption, compared to traditional spinal surgery. This enables patients to recover faster and routinely go home the day after surgery completion.
“The skill of our neurosurgeons, combined with this minimally invasive surgery, especially in complex spinal surgeries, helps our patients with less pain and quicker recovery times,” said Dr. Justin Sweeney, neurosurgeon and department chair of neurosurgery at Mercy Hospital St. Louis. “This type of technology enhances our commitment to providing exceptional patient care."
The Mazor X, designed for spine surgery, offers numerous benefits:
- Surgical Plans: Physicians create a personalized surgical plan for patients before entering the operating room, which can be described as GPS navigation for the spine, enhancing precision of complex spine procedures.
- Improved Implant Accuracy: The robot ensures precise placement of spinal instrumentation, improving safety and outcomes.
- Reduced Surgery Time and Length of Stay: The technology streamlines surgical procedures, leading to shorter operative times and reduced recovery periods.
