SpineAssist, a unique Israeli miniature robot for use in spinal surgery, was demonstrated for the first time at the Hadassah University Hospital-Mt. Scopus last week. The robot. developed by the Israeli company Mazor Surgical Technologies, is designed to assist surgeons in more precise implantation of screws and other devices necessary for successful spinal fusion procedures to treat lower back pain. Mazor developers refer to the miniature robot as a medical GPS system that brings surgeons to the requested address.
Leading Israeli spinal surgeons the from Carmel, Sheba and Hadassah Medical Centers assisted Mazor in the development of the robot and participated in the clinical trials. Under the supervision of Prof. Iri Libergal, Head of the Hadassah's Department of Orthopedics, Hadassah orthopedic surgeons Dr. Leon Kaplan and Dr. Yair Barzilay successfully conducted 20 procedures using the new device. As a result, Hadassah is preparing to acquire Mazor’s robot.
Hadassah is a world leader in the field of image-guided surgery. Three years ago, Prof. Liebergall and his associates performed the world’s first computer assisted hip replacement surgery.
SpineAssist proved to be an invaluable asset during extensive tests, clinical trials and 200 operations conducted in Israel and the U.S. during the past year, “It increases accuracy of placement and guides us in performing biopsies, removing tumors and injecting cement into fractured vertebrae,” Doctors Kaplan and Barzilay said.
The robot does not replace the surgeon or perform any surgical procedure. Rather, it imports and executes the surgical plan from CT scans and reconstructs images, merging the CT scans of the patient’s condition with the planned procedure. During the operation, surgeons review the robot's recommendations and use the robotic arm to point and place. SpineAssist decreases the possibility of neurological damage and improves movement, acting as an accurate extension of the surgeon’s arm.
Eighty percent of the world’s population suffers from back pain some time during their life; 33 percent of the population over 30 suffers from chronic back pain. In Israel alone, a million people are afflicted with chronic back pain. Over half a million spinal surgeries are performed annually in the United States, and the figure is expected to grow by 10 to 14 percent.
Mazor CEO Ori Hadomi expects that within a few years the SpineAssist will become the standard for most spine surgeries. Hadassah surgeons Kaplan and Barzilay concur. “In the near future, we believe it will be used to help us treat other spinal conditions such as deformations, scoliosis and congenital problems. However,” they added, “we want to hone our experience with lumbar spine surgery before proceeding to more complicated cases.”
SpineAssist was the initiative of Prof. Moshe Shoham, a leader in medical robotics and Head of the Robotics Department at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Five years ago, Mazor Surgical Technologies moved from the Technion to its present offices in Caesarea. Mazor employs over 30 employees; 10 at its office in the U.S. Mazor's major shareholders are Alice Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Shalom Equity Fund, Dor Ventures, Proseed, IHCV and the Technion Incubator.