1st in India: ISIC performs spine robotics surgery

NEW DELHI: A city-based hospital has claimed to become the first hospital outside the US to use a highly advanced robotics system to do spine surgeries. The hospital has already performed more than five successful precision surgeries using the recently acquired advanced spine robotics system.

First of his kind in India, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) at Vasant Kunj has introduced robotics as an advancement in spine surgery, a specialised approach to a complex procedure that allows planning a surgery and facilitates highly accurate and predictable execution of the plan. It helps in inserting implants in the spine.

A team of spine surgeons led by Dr H.S. Chhabra, chief of spine services at ISIC, recently performed a surgery with the help of advanced robotic system on a 33-year-old woman with post spinal tuberculosis kyphotic deformity of back with severe weakness in legs.

A 50-year-old man, who was unable to walk more than 100 metres, was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, a spinal disorder in which a bone slips forward over another bone below. He was also recently operated upon with minimal incision (minimally invasive spine surgery) and bleeding. He started walking upto three kilometres within three days of surgery.

The latest robotic system reduces implant inaccuracies, revision surgeries, radiation exposure, length of stay and infection, and combines advanced software, robotic technology, navigation and instrumentation along with artificial intelligence and sophisticated 3D analytics.

 “Surgeries conducted through advanced robotics reduce implant inaccuracies, revision surgeries, radiation exposure, length of stay and infection. Such high improvements in so many parameters simultaneously can drive significant clinical efficiency and reduce the burden on healthcare system in the medium to long run. This will help the doctors of ISIC serve the patients better and in a cost-effective manner,” said Dr. Chhabra.