Robot-assisted Surgery Debuts at Pediatric Hospital

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has become the first pediatric facility in the US to offer robot-guided scoliosis surgery.

The SpineAssist surgical guidance system allows surgeons to pre-plan procedures using a CT-based 3D simulation of the patient’s spine. During the surgery, a robotic extension arm guides the surgeon to the pre-planned location.

Children’s is one of four healthcare facilities in the US that currently use the technology, which has been widely adapted in Europe, according to a press release.

Dennis Devito, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Children’s, pioneered the use of the device in pediatric scoliosis patients after a study showed that accuracy was improved when using the robotic guidance system for screw implantation in scoliosis patients.

“We’re excited to offer scoliosis patients this leading-edge device,” he said.

At Children’s, pediatric orthopaedic surgeons treated thousands of patients who require specialized surgical treatment for a variety of conditions, throughout Georgia, the Southeast and internationally, it said.

Devito’s work in this area, said Michael Schmitz, MD, Chief of Orthopaedics at Children’s, is reflective of the organization’s “efforts to combine the latest technology and clinical methods to offer comprehensive, coordinated care for patients and families.”

For more information:

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• After Robotic Surgery Comes Robotic Anesthesiology
• Pediatric Robot Surgery (Video)